Many people express their secret wish of always wanting a twin but few people experience the reality. The highs, the lows. The bonding, the arguing. The sharing, the stealing. The list goes on and on. I, myself, happen to have a twin sister. Yes, out of the 3 to 100 twin birth ratio, I happen to be a twin. I have learned a lot about myself and others through having a twin but there is still more to learn. One thing is for sure, no two pairs of twins are just alike, and no pair of twins have skipped the bad parts.

My twin- Katie- and I are very different both physically and characteristically. I am short and she is tall- a six inch height difference to be exact. My hair is blonde and hers is reddish. I am tan and she is paler with freckles. I tend to be more sweet and she tends to be more sassy. I have always been easy going and creative, whereas she remains organized and concise. Of course, we still share these characteristics, but one leans more one way while the other leans the other way. From first impression everyone immediately notices the differences and similarities in our personalities and appearance.

“What is having a twin like?” This is your average question that follows after people learn you are a twin. In my case, the following statements are usually: No, you're lying. You aren't identical. Who's older? This continues through a steady conversation and typically steers the topic. For a solid ten minutes, your title is “twin.” I had forgotten the feeling of being questioned about “twin things,” until recently, when I started college. Now the surprised faces and intrigued questions start back up. “Oh, this is your twin!” “Hey, you're Katie’s twin!” “I met your twin the other day!” Being a twin certainly takes up some of the conversations.

The saying “life isn't always fair,” never reigns so true until you are a twin. Everything is shared between another person: birthdays, rooms, spending money, friends, etc. During our toddler years, we often complained about having to share toys and games. Today, if my parents were to hand out money to go out to eat, they usually prompt, “Share this with your sister.” The cost of supplies for school, dance, and clothing doubles; thus, my parents drastically lean towards sale items. I have to admit, it provides good practice for college life. I am already accustomed to the “sharing a room” and “sharing a life” themes ushered with college. You learn how to quite literally share a life with someone when you are a twin.

Growing up with a twin basically means gaining a built-in friend but also a built-in enemy. I don't so much mean "enemy" but more so "competitor." Imagine going through the same schooling and classes with someone who either makes higher or lower grades than you; there would be a natural competition, right? You want the better toy, they want the better toy. You want the lead part, they want the lead part. You want the car, they want the car. It turns into a cycle. Of course, you move on from feelings of contempt very quickly. After all, you live with them for goodness' sake.

Aside from having a unique "bond," twins hold a very unique friendship. Normal people usually develop a few inside jokes with those around them, but twins, however, develop more than you thought possible. For the most part you have both experienced the same things, which makes it easy to relate situations back to funny moments from the past. You know their most embarrassing times and often blackmail or taunt them. They can act as your wingman/ wingwoman without making it obvious. "Twin telepathy" is honestly a real thing. It's not so much that you can "read each other's minds," but you simply know what the other one would say or how they would react. Thus, when something happens, you can know what they're thinking of. Twins gain a natural yet odd form of friendship.

In the end, a twin is always there for you. No matter how strange a question or situation is, you can always tell them; I mean, what are they going to do? Disown you? It's not like you can scare them away with your problems or weird thoughts. All twins do, however, differ: identical, fraternal, boy and girl, girl and girl, or boy and boy. Everything I have written is from my personal background of being a twin. I've learned the whole toddler, preteen, and teenage years of twinning. Now I can look forward to the 20's, married life, parent life, and elderly life of being a twin. Some twins stay close together in distance and relationship while others drift apart; no matter what, twins affect each other in distinct ways. After all, God created you to share life with them for His purpose. Having a twin is a difficult but special life that few people have the privilege of experiencing.