All twins are individuals. However, because they were born as a unit of two, they need some extra help to develop their own sense of themselves as individuals. This can be particularly difficult for identical twins to do.
Parents can start to encourage individuality from the beginning of twins’ lives by following this advice from the Multiple Births Foundation:
- Don’t give twins names that sound alike or have the same initials.
- Don’t dress them in the same clothes.
- Don’t call them "the twins".
- Give your twins as much separate one-to-one time with you as possible.
- Give each child a space to call their own.
- Encourage other people to understand that twins are not inseparable.
- Give your twins the chance to develop separate interests and hobbies and, as they get older, different after-school activities and groups of friends.
- Appreciate the qualities and strengths of each twin.
The Twins & Multiple Births Association (Tamba) and the Multiple Births Foundation have further information on encouraging individuality. Tamba members can download an Enhancing Individuality leaflet, while the Multiple Births Foundations sells the booklet Individuality in Twins – a painful quest? for £3 through its website.
