Seeing Double: Twins at Latin

Most people have wondered what it must be like to have a twin. Twins usually keep their relationships and experiences between themselves, so other people don’t know what it is like. Latin is a school full of twins, yet most students do not realize it. The Latin Upper School has a whopping eleven sets of twins. To get the inside scoop on what it is really like, these sets shared the reality of being twins and what makes this kinship so unique.

Although being a twin has its pros and cons, according to Latin twins, having a continual companion is mainly positive.

“I love being a twin and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” Ana Kenefick ‘20 said. Any con about being a twin is outweighed by the number of blessings. I feel that we have a sense of individuality even though not everyone sees it at first. We are very similar but we do have our differences that make us individuals.”

Many sets feel that having someone by their side 24/7 is the best aspect about having a twin.

“Having a twin basically means that I always have my best friend by my side. There is always someone to laugh with, to hang out with, and to share my thoughts with,” Ana said.

“The best thing about being a twin is having someone who knows everything that is going on and can give me advice,” Carter Lloyd ‘21 said.

Having a forever friend has its negatives, as well.

“The worst thing is when people get our names confused or think we are the same person,” Davis Sharrett ‘20 said.

A common problem for twins is always feeling like they are being compared and judged by others, which makes them feel pressured and competitive towards each other.

“People compare us and try to find out who is better at this or that,” Sara Kenefick ‘20 said.

Having spent their whole lives joint at the hip, twins are bound to have many similarities.

“We have the same sense of humor and have similar interests,” William Sharrett ‘20 said.

“We are more alike than we are different. Beyond our looks, we tend to like the same types of clothes, food, people, and classes. Because of these similarities, we do not get offended when people mix up our names,” Ana said.

Although twins have similarities, they are both their own person with a unique sense of individuality.

“The biggest difference between us, according to our closest friends, would be that I am more talkative” Ana said.

“We don’t get very competitive because we don’t play the same sports, we’re in different classes, and we’ve always been very different,” Livy Smith ‘18 said.

Although the Sharretts have the same friends, the same interests, play the same sports, and even look alike, they have a very unique difference. They have different birthdays! Davis was born around midnight while William was born early the next morning.

“Because we celebrate different birthdays, it gives us more of an individual aspect to each have our own day,” Davis said.

According to the website Quora, one adolescent event can make one an introvert and the other an extrovert. In this case, AJ considers himself as more of an extrovert while his sister, Jasmine, shows more introvert qualities.

“I am more social, and she’s more shy and quiet,” AJ Tolbert ‘20 said.

When constantly being compared, twins naturally develop a sense of competitiveness with each other.

“We are extremely competitive with each other, mostly with sports and school. While we tend to compete with one another, we are always each other’s number one supporter,” Ana said.

“To us, everything is a competition whether it’s rugby, track, or even a board game,” AJ said.

“We are competitive through sports and we both do not like to lose,” William said.

Even though twins can be competitive, they can share friend groups.

“Our friends have become friends with each other,” Livy said.

Whether it is telepathy or feeling each other’s emotions, twins are prone to have a special connection that is different from single-birth siblings. Huffington Post writes that “forty percent of twins invent their own languages.”  

“We are telepathic, think similarly, and sometimes we finish each other sentences,” AJ said.

“We don’t feel each other’s pain or have telepathy, but we do make a lot of the same choices without knowing what the other one chose,” Ana said. “For example, very often we will come downstairs in the morning to find that we both are wearing the same clothing. While neither of us usually wants to go back upstairs to change, one of usually does because it would be awkward for us to be twinning.”

Gender plays a huge role in a twin’s relationship. Some twins prefer being different genders, while others think being the same gender strengthens their bond.

“I like having a guy twin better because if I had a girl twin, there would be a lot of comparing through grades, looks, etc,” Carter said.

“I think it would be really different having a same gender twin. If JP was a girl, I would be more competitive with him. It would also be different socially because I feel like we would’ve grown up playing the same sports or having the same best friends,” Livy said.

Spending the majority of their childhood together, each set of twins has a share of unique and funny stories that have stuck with them.

“When we were split up for the first time in preschool, we started bawling crying because we were so attached to each other and we had to be picked up from school that day,” Johnston Lloyd ‘21 said.

“When we were five, my mom wanted us to look at ourselves in the mirror to admire a new dress, but I pointed at Sara and told my mom that I could already see and skipped away,” said Ana.

“We’ve never played any tricks but often are confused for each other by teachers and just go with it. I can tell when somebody has confused us. I just relay the message to Ana and we don’t let on to the person that they’ve confused us,” Sara said.

Spending so much time with the same person, there are bound to be factors that can be annoying while being a twin.

“The most annoying question is when people ask if we are identical,” Carter said.

“Sometimes when I get in trouble, my parents yell at Davis,” William said.

Because twins grow up always having each other by their side, going their separate ways is very difficult.

“We will definitely stay in touch when we go to college. It will be different not having the same classes and friends. We are going to be far away from each other, which is going to be a huge change,” Livy said.

“A fear I have is as we grow older and go our separate ways is we will not be as connected,” AJ said. “It would be extremely different if she was not my twin because she makes me more competitive, work harder athletically, and I am always try to prove her wrong.”

The Keneficks know they will always be close, but they are curious of what the future brings.

“I would not say we have fears for the future about growing apart or anything like that, but we do wonder about it sometimes. Being together is all we have known, so our lives are definitely going to change when we go separate ways. There is no fear or anxiety because our bond is too strong for anything to change it,” said Ana said.

“We are probably going to go to the same college, but will not room together. I don’t see us ever getting too far apart even as adults,” Sara said.

Although having a twin might seem rare to those of us who haven’t experienced such a phenomenon, having this companion guarantees a friend for life.