We can all admit to the fact that we’ve all at least once wished that we had a twin. You would always have a buddy to talk with, someone to help you with your homework, and be able to enjoy life with. The number of twins in our Morris Hills community and around the world and country is continuously rising. In the Morris Hills community, there are currently about 11 sets of student twins, while on a global scale, about 32 out of every 1,000 people are twins.

To those that don’t have a twin, there are many intriguing questions and curiosities about life with a twin is like. So, we asked some twins within the Morris Hills community to help us answer these questions. As fellow twins, we know that one of the most common question we get is what the best thing about being twins is. The most common response is that there’s always going to be someone there for you. Having a twin is essentially like having a life-long best friend that grew up with you since you were born. Your twin knows pretty much everything about you, whether it be your favorite song, what makes you happy, or your darkest secrets. Along with the best friend aspect, there’s always a sense of trust between one another. Life is not easy, especially during high school years filled with stress over academics and extracurriculars. “Even as life gets chaotic, we have each other to talk to and can trust that we’re telling the complete truth and give honest advice,” senior Joseph Lee said.   

Another question that many people have is how life is challenging with a twin. One of the biggest difficulties is that it can be  slightly harder to make connections with other people when you already have a super close friend: your twin. As twins, you’ve developed a very tight relationship from a young age, making it harder to expand out of your comfort zone to make new friends. In addition, having twins also creates a constant competitive drive. Whether it be through academics, extracurriculars or sports, there’s always a feeling of competition to see who can beat the other. But as twin Benjamin Lee said, “It’s all in good sport, and I use it as a way to make myself better and more efficient at what I like to do.” Overall, this aspect serves a tremendous source of motivation to reach towards your full potential. While the common perception is that being a twin just means having a sibling, it’s more than that. “It’s weird because they are the same age and are going through similar things as you,” sophomore Mary Lake said.

Twin life isn’t only different for the twins themselves; it’s also an experience to remember for their parents. Being the parent of twins is a rollercoaster. Morris Hills principal Mr. Toriello, a parent of three children, two of whom are twins,  says that “There is absolutely no down time. My children are constantly on the move and require attention.” He reflected, “The days of relaxing and doing nothing when I get home from work or over the weekend are over.” Our parents can certainly say the same. As parents of two sets of twins, they say that their biggest challenge is the comparing one to the other without even realizing it.  Our mom said, “It is easy to compare one to other, whether it be for looks, grades, even weight. They are always with each other, and it’s hard to not compare them. ” Despite the hardships of raising twins, it all comes with a reward like no other. Mr. Toriello said that, “As parents of twins, Mrs. Toriello and I have two of everything. It is so unique to see the different personalities of my twins and my baby. All three are unique.”

At the end of the day, being a twin simply means having not only a built in best friend, but someone to support you for the rest of your life. As twins, we can say that we wouldn’t want to trade the life of a twin for anything because it comes with its own unique experiences.  While we may look similar and be viewed as being alike in every single way, we aren’t the same. We and all twins strive to build characters that we can define as our own, and to create our own paths in life.