What I’ve found is that after a week socializing with twins, it’s pretty much impossible to confuse one with the other, especially if they’re older. There’s always some little quirk that differentiates the two. The parents who raised them would have to be out of the world shitty if they can’t tell apart their children.
Have siblings who are twins. Can confirm. In fact growing up with them it was weird to me that people got them confused with each other at all given how different they really are
Can confirm. During my whole primary school there were two twin girls in my class and me and all my other mates could tell them apart instantly but any other child in the school couldn’t. Actually we were quite surprised when they couldn’t because for us was quite obvious to differentiate them both.
This. I know identical twins, at first glance they look exactly the same, but with a little time it’s pretty easy to tell them apart. Even in older photos it’s not that hard to tell which is which.
Me and the clone argue about old photos about who is whom. Like, WE don’t know who WE are in some photos.
Keep in mind that you two also aren’t used to telling each other apart. You’re perspective is always from the inside and the other is just the other. Your parents or other siblings would probably be much better at differentiating between you two. (I would assume.)
Haha that’s awesome.
I could see this happening when they are babies though. Like 6 weeks in Bob becomes Tom and Tom becomes Bob and you might never know. I don’t think that would be harmful at such a young age though.
Where I live, birth certificate registration require footprints taken by a nurse. I imagine identical twins still have different footprints pattern?
Imagine when you’re old and tried to compare your footprints out of curiosity only to find out your identity has been swapped this whole time.
registration require footprints taken by a nurse
Can confirm.
That’s why I tattooed my twins initials on their foreheads backwards at birth, that way if they ever forget who they are, they can just look in the mirror. Billy and Bobby will never forget who they are.
/s
Wait, what
Woosh
I feel like if I ever have twins, I’m going to stress about that more than is necessary. Like, documenting freckles or using a sharpie or something.
Baby tattoos. Solves some issues. Causes some issues. Gotta figure out what matters more
Causes some issues.
Like when they start vaping at 1 y/o and their first words are about taking a “gap year” after Pre-K?
Why should it even matter? Once they’re old enough to know their own names, they’ll remember. And until then, it doesn’t matter who is who.
We painted their toe nails for the first month but even after about a week could tell them apart pretty easily. Their position in the womb and the birth means they can have quite different head shapes from one another. Also as another comment said, differences in personality are big and start surprisingly early.
My best friend is a mirror twin. His brother cried a lot more as a baby. When they became toddlers his brother complained a lot more. Now as adults, his brother still complains and argues a lot more. I don’t understand how they can be genetically identical, have the exact same upbringing, and be so different from the moment of their birth, but they are.
the brother was the second sperm that entered the egg
That’s not how identical twins are formed. An egg, fertilized from a single sperm, splits into two, creating two people with identical DNA. You’re thinking of fraternal twins, where two separate eggs are fertilized by two separate sperm.
wait what
so i just read the wikipedia article and i don’t udnerstand what it says. i’ll stick with my missconception xD
/s obv
As someone who has 14 month old identical twins, I was almost positive this would happen. We painted their tiny toenails to try and avoid that. At this point we they are different enough we can tell them apart. Everyone else struggles, but we can tell easily
I see, you choose the michael scott approach
Can confirm. Had to go back to check prints. Were then color-coded for life and I still don’t wear reds or browns.
No, that’s why they mark them on the head with permanent marker! /s
Write initials in the soft spot
Relativity
It’s had to have happened at least once.
There’s a This American Life story about a mom who was keeping track of which twin was which using diaper pins. When she took them in for a checkup, they changed the diapers for her and handed her the pins afterward. So she guessed!
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/691/gardens-of-branching-paths/act-three-27
