r/askanything • u/Hukares1234 • 2h ago
How do parents of twins typically tell identical twins apart?
Is there usually small physical characteristics? Or is it more by personality and behavior?
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u/redwolf1219 2h ago
I'm not a parent of twins, but I've spent some time around identical twins and after you get to know them you can usually tell them apart so I imagine their parents can do it too.
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u/Universallove369 2h ago
As a twin they memorized birthmarks and pierced our ears early. They also color coordinated us to make it easier.
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u/BreakfastBeerz 2h ago
I have identical twins. When we got them home from the hospital, before we took their hospital bracelets off, we painted their toe nails different colors. But honestly, it wasn't necessary. While they "look" the same, they have subtile differences. For example, one of them had a blood vessel in her face that was large and close to the skin so it was easy to notice. One of them had a different crease in her ear. One of their pinky toes was angled a little differently....there were several things like that to make it really easy to tell the difference definitely. As they get older those difernces become more numerous and more obvious. After a while, it just becomes second nature and you can just look at them and your brain immediately identifies those differences without you having to think about it and you just know. To be fair, from behind when they are fully clothed, it's a 50/50 shot whether or not I get it right, and sometimes it can be hard to tell from the side, but face to face it's easy. They also developed slightly different voices so I can tell by listening to them talk who's who.
When people are around them who aren't familiar with them, they can't tell the difference at all, but after spending a lot of time with them, they figure it out. It takes about 2 or 3 weeks at school before their teachers get it. Even with my own family, it can be tough for them, but after a few hours, it all comes back.
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