Life can be interesting if you have a twin sibling. Apart from being able to prank people by confusing them, there’s a special bond between two people who were born a mere minutes apart.
Life can also be complicated if you have a twin sibling. You may run into issues as these two boys did with their school’s medical officer, who had trouble telling them apart.
This moment of confusion urged the school official to make an absurd request to one of the boys’ parents, a conversation that didn’t end well.
Having a twin sibling has its upsides and downsides
Image credits: MaplesImages (not the actual photo)
For these two boys, the problem began with their school’s medical officer
Image credits: drazenphoto (not the actual photo)
Image source: Top-Relationship359
People with twin siblings often deal with an identity crisis
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Like most people with a twin sibling, the two boys in the story likely struggled with their fair share of identity issues. According to educational consultant Dr. Barbara Klein, this is because identity development among twin children is already riddled with critical issues.
“Closeness breeds companionship, love, and struggles about who is who and what belongs to which one,” Dr. Klein wrote, adding that single children rarely wonder about “What belongs to me and what to you?”
Dr. Klein’s study has extensively focused on the development of twin identities. In another article, she listed the common hardships of being a twin, which included being compared to one another, even by strangers.
Dr. Klein adds that such comparisons often create chaos, which people without twin siblings may find “ridiculous.”
“Depending on who is evaluating the pair, these obnoxious questions/comments cause competition and sadness for the less confident twin,” she added.
It was unprofessional of the school’s medical officer to try to pass off her obligations to the boys’ parent. Worse, her comments about having the two become “easy to distinguish” were likewise rude and likely reinforced any identity crisis the children may already have been dealing with.
The author’s reaction would be the same as any other person's in the same situation. They were correct in saying that it was the school’s responsibility to have the right child.
Most commenters sided with the boys' parent
