Sure, if you have twins, they may look very much alike, but that is no justification for dressing them the same every day. Countless times I have seen the various sets of twins in the neighborhood and they are almost always dressed in matching clothes. It is as if the parents decided the kids should look completely interchangeable with no distinguishing characteristics. One of the main arguments I have heard for this matching attire business is that it is simply easier to buy two of everything when shopping for two kids. What a load of poppycock. I’ve got twins, I’ve bought clothes for them, and it only takes a few extra minutes to grab some different tops and bottoms.
All right, perhaps I don’t sound convincing enough. After all, I am only one parent, and matching babies are soooo cute. Frankly, I wouldn’t even raise the issue were it not for the opinions expressed to me by one specific group of individuals – adult twins. Over the past year, we encountered numerous people who enquired about the boys, made small talk, and confessed to being a twin. Nearly every time they commented on how we were doing right by our children by not dressing them identically. They expressed feelings of resentment and regret about going through childhood without being seen as an individual.
Before even hearing from these grownup twins, I had already laid down the law in our home (after consulting with my wife, of course) that the boys should not be dressed in matching duds. Despite my mandate, from time to time, our boys have ended up in matching tops. These were given as gifts and, well, the ladies of the household couldn’t help themselves. The boys do look cute when wearing matching outfits. Fortunately, they also look adorable individually – no matter what they are wearing.
Photos: bhenak (flickr)
