As I describe in my book The Same but Different, twins feel relieved when they can talk about their problems with a fellow twin. Twins have a unique emotional trajectory that does not parallel the experience of different-age siblings. Most siblings are able to express how they feel about their brother or sister. They feel comfortable arguing for status and position without incurring much guilt or opposition. Twins, on the other hand, frequently do not experience this emotional freedom. While […]
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Why It’s So Difficult to Just Say No
A few weeks ago, I and a number of other consultants were asked to help a couple with three-year-old fraternal twin boys determine why the boys have not learned how to fall asleep on their own. Both the mom and the dad felt exhausted, frustrated, and defeated. Their innumerable unsuccessful attempts to put the boys to bed in their own room and to have them sleep through the night left the parents feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Both the mom and […]
It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To
I don’t imagine most adult singletons experience insufferable conflict over whether or not to invite a sibling to their birthday party. Most likely, singletons have the luxury of celebrating their special day without having to share it with a sister or brother. However, the likelihood that many same age siblings celebrate the majority of their birthdays together is quite probable. Shared birthday parties are expectable, practical, and natural. So, birthdays can be very emotionally challenging for some adult twin pairs […]
Happy Twin Pairs—a Celebration
Twin stories abound wherever I go! After people find out that I write books about twins and identify myself as a twin therapist, I am inundated with twin incidents. I spent a week cruising in the Caribbean and heard wonderfully positive stories about twin relationships. One gentleman in his sixties shared how he and his identical twin brother have worked and lived together their entire lives. He had nothing but fantastic things to say about his twin experience. Both brothers […]
Twinship
A young-adult female twin posted these sentiments and gave me permission to share them on my blog. Twinship is a blessing. It’s a feeling of togetherness. It’s an unbreakable connection. Twins live in their own small twin world. They are the happiest pair when they live together. They never do anything wrong because they always have a teacher. They never fear going up against anything because they have twin support always. The problem starts when twins have to leave each […]