The Twinning

Left+is+Damin+and+on+the+right+is+Hamin%2C+we+think

Alexis Lee

Left is Damin and on the right is Hamin, we think

“Are you related? Wait! You are Twins!? I thought you were dating!” There are many twins at BF, 23 sets of them ito be exact. Seventh and eighth grades both have nine sets of twins, and sixth grade has five sets. Some twins are easily recognizable like Hamin and Damin when others like  Owen and Finn Scott seem hidden. To understand twins, the BF Bolt interviewed a group of eighth-grade twins, with questions along the lines of, “What is your favorite and least favorite part about being a twin?”, and “What assumptions do people make about you both?” The sets of twins the staff interviewed had a wide variety of different answers. 

The BF bolt asked Hamin and Damin Kang, the only set of identical twins in 8th-grade, questions about being twins. One of these questions was, “Do people ever make assumptions about you when you are with your twin?” and they both had a similar answer,  something like “People think we are the same person and I don’t like it.” They mentioned that twins usually get compared to each other, which is stressful. “What is your favorite part of being a twin,” Damin said, “I’m not bored with Hamin. Hamin answered, “You can play with your twin when you are lonely.” This is an interesting answer because other sets of twins said similar things. The twins, Henry and Charlotte Rivera, both said they like having a built-in best friend. Charlotte stated, “My favorite part about being a twin is always having someone to hang out with, and talk about school with.” Surprisingly, another set of twins, Finn and Owen, said something similar. Finn said “Having another person the same age as me is very good.” Finn and Owen, and Henry and Charlotte both really value friendship and having company. 

All of the sets agreed that being a twin has its positives and its negatives to everyday life. The BF bolt asked two sets of boy-girl twins a couple of questions and got similar results. When an anonymous pair of twins was asked the question, “Do people ever make assumptions when you are with your twin?” they replied,  “Yes a lot, that we are dating.” This seemed to be common within fraternal twins because Charlotte Rivera also said, “Usually people don’t realize we are twins until I tell them.” Henry Rivera, (Charlotte’s twin brother) stated, “Yes they do, when Charlotte and I are out in public, people think we are dating.” These awkward situations make being a twin, somewhat difficult. 

Even though all the sets had different answers the evidence was conclusive that there are both positive and negative aspects of being a twin. Several twins, especially identical twins, did not really enjoy being a twin, but the majority mentioned that they liked having a lifelong friend. On the other hand, some of the twins answered that they had a bit of discontent being a twin since many people assume they are the exact same person or compare them to their twin. Being a twin is a very interesting experience, different than any other in the world. From having a built-in best friend to being able to switch places with ease or being asked if they are dating, that having a twin is a truly special, unique and distinctive experience.