Twin Thing

Matthew (red) and Aidan (blue) in Playmobilland, Germany. 

Okay.  Here's a cute little thing that happened at school.

The twins have best friends. 

All I heard about the first week of school was Thomas.  Their best friend Thomas.

Then their teacher told me that she'd been noticing that MY twins had been spending an inordinate amount of time with the OTHER set of twins in the class.  She said she didn't even notice it at first - all of the kids are wearing the same uniform after all - but just sat down at a table with four boys.  And realized those four boys were two sets of twins working together.  After that, she noticed it more and more.

Thomas's brother's name is Lachlan.  Which my boys can't pronounce and which is why I had only heard about Thomas.

Thomas and Lachlan are fraternal twins as well, which is nice because, since they are all blonde and have short haircuts, it is really rather difficult to tell the FOUR of them apart.  (Thomas and Lachlan have black school shoes and Aidan and Matthew wear white sneakers.  Tennies for the Aussies, I believe!)

Iglersreuth, Germany.  A rare treat - TWO tractors!

The four of them ARE branching out and meeting other friends as well.  Which is good since there are so many cool kids to meet who AREN'T twins.  But I do think that twins respond to eachother in a special way.  I'd noticed it before in Germany when my two boys met another two boys at a play area in a department store.  The four of them played for over an hour, patiently taking turns on a small trampoline.  Mind you, they were all about three, and mind you, this was Germany.  And children anywhere are going to start bickering and pushing after a while.

But not these four.  I think its because they had HAD to learn to share things equally.  Even more so than an older or younger sibling, there is no discussion on equitable distribution of resources among a population of two that has the EXACT SAME needs at the EXACT SAME AGE.  No, well honey, Lisa is two years older than you and......  Or Mark is younger than you are and.......

Twins are together, sharing the same stages of development.  And together a lot.  If life is going to work out at all these little people are going to have to learn to work it out.  I don't think it's premeditated or that twin parents are better at it.  I think its necessity.  (The same reason that my kids will eat an apple without it being peeled and sliced or slinkied.  The same reason they will generally eat what is put in front of them or know that they'll go hungry.)

Aidan and Matthew and Thomas and Lachlan obviously aren't thinking about this as they choose playmates.  My two didn't even realize the other two were twins until the third week of school.  But I do think there is an ease, a familiarity with how they interact with oneanother as siblings and as twins that feels comfortable to another set of twins.

I like Thomas and Lachlan's mother too.  And we have similar parenting experiences.  So that it is all really easy and natural.

Just like finding a best friend - or two - should be!

Really gotta love those coordinated sweaters.  I obviously do.