"Where’s My Twin?"

This morning we went to Bounce U with Joy Lin and her Mom and Dad. It was heaven for Kyle and Owen to be at Bounce U playing with Joy Lin. And Braydon and I had such a good time chatting with Chris and Lisa. One thing that is so great about getting together with another high-energy-and-full-of-life-kid-family is that you don’t have to feel self-conscious about how high-energy-and-full-of-life your kid(s) is/are! You all just sort of understand each other in some way that feels really comfortable and special. It’s really nice. Anyway, at one point Owen and Kyle lost track of each other (a rare thing). Owen ran up to Lisa and I and said to me, “Mommy, where is my twin???” I pointed to where Kyle and Joy Lin were, and Owen ran off to play with them. But this wording– “my twin”– was so striking to me. He didn’t say, “Where is Kyle?” or “Where is my Ky Ky?” or “Where is my brother?” (all of which I’ve heard many times before), instead he said, “my twin.” Of course being twins is a huge part of K & O’s identities, they know that they are twins, they understand what twins are, etc… but I’ve never heard either of them use “my twin” to refer to the other. This was a first. And Owen said it so unconsciously, so unreflectively. “Where is my twin???”… somehow it just seemed so… I don’t know… just so striking to hear Owen say that. I just can’t even imagine what it would be like to be twins. I was thinking about it again when we were out to lunch. Eating our tacos and burritos and quesadillas the boys were fooling around with each other in their characteristic way. Braydon and I were just watching them carry on (as were most people in the restaurant), getting the biggest kick out of them. But we couldn’t help but talk about what we talk about often when watching them interact— there is something so unique about the way they are –as twins– together. And then tonight at home I was thinking about it again as I watched them sit together watching their Curious George video. They were sitting right next to each other so that their entire sides of their bodies were touching. They always sit this way when watching a video. I watched as Kyle put his arm up and rested his elbow on Owen’s shoulder, Kyle’s hand touching the side of Owen’s face. They sat that way for a long stretch, and I watched as Owen rubbed his cheek along Kyle’s hand a couple of times — neither of them the least bit bothered by the proximity, neither of them taking their eyes off of the t.v. Their twinship— it is just not like any other relationship. I can’t put words to it to describe it. But I have to say, that to be able to witness it so intimately, as Braydon and I get to do daily, makes for such a fascinating life. And it is such a wonder-filled blessing for us to be able to parent our twins.