by Leigh Campbell

Since ancient times twins have always fascinated people. Myths portray twins as companions “who share a deeper than ordinary friendship or even brotherly affection,” according to the myth encyclopedia. The Greek myth of Castor and Pollux, for example, depicts the bonds of twins when Pollux gives up half of his immortality for his killed brother to come back to life. Other myths portray twins as enemies or complementary functions like night and day.

For the past sixteen years of my life I have always had someone by my side. I am a twin. Ever since I could speak, people have asked the same questions about twinhood. I am going to address common questions and myths associated with twins.

Are you identical? Fraternal? What is the difference?

My twin and I are fraternal twins. This means that we came from two separate eggs in our mother. In identical twins one egg is split into two (hence the identical DNA). As babies and young toddlers we looked alike. As we got older and transitioned into adolescence we started looking less alike. Now that we are maturing we are again starting to look more alike.

What is it like to be a twin?

Being a twin is not something that is easy to articulate. Imagine always having someone to talk to, always having a person who is going through the exact same thing as you at the exact same time. I know everything about her, she knows everything about me. It is different from any other relationship in the world, I am closer to my twin than anyone. The relationship with my other siblings, friends, and parents do not compare. It is hard to describe because I have never not been a twin. Why don’t you explain to me what it is like not to be a twin?

Do you like being a twin?

Of course I like having my best friend with me at all times. I have gotten to have a sleepover with my best friend for sixteen years. Although, knowing someone so well for so long does have its negative consequences. We know how to push each others buttons and get under the other’s skin. And if you have ever been with us together for more than 10 minutes you will hear us disagree about something.

Do you help each other with homework?

This particular question is a euphemism for “do you guys copy off each other?” And the simple answer is no. In fact, my twin and I do not have one class together. Before high school, we had always been in the same class. Even then we never copied off one another. Occasionally when one of us has trouble or need help studying we quiz one another.

If your twin is pinched, can you feel it?

As cool as that would be, no I cannot physically feel what my twin is feeling. I often think at times we share emotional feelings, which leads into my next question…

Can you communicate telepathically?

I wish. We cannot read each other’s minds. But in fact, because we have been exposed to one another for so long I can predict what she is going to say or how she will react to something. We often finish each other’s sentences. When we were first learning to talk we did have our own “language.” Twins are more concerned about communicating with each other than with their English speaking parents, therefore gibberish is often a substitute.

Which one of you drives to school?

Psychologists say that usually in a relationship between twins one is dominant. This means one of the twins makes the decisions and the other one follows. I am definitely the follower. My sister drives whenever we are going somewhere together. She also has the final say in the majority of the decisions we make. If she wants pizza for dinner and I want pasta, we have pizza. That is just the way it is.

Do twins run in your family?

Sort of. Two of my uncles are twins. But chances are that someone in your family tree is a twin as well.

According to the New York Times the rate of twin births has increased 76% from 1980 to 2009. While there has been an increase in twins, there will never be a shortage of questions about them.