Some kids are raised with older brothers or younger sisters or maybe even no siblings at all. But occasionally, two children are born and raised together, eventually finding out they are twins.

Being a twin could be a great thing, leaving the children with a best friend for life. Or, on the other hand, the two could have different interests and not form that same bond. All these questions make me wonder what it would be like growing up with a twin, especially during high school.

“It’s nice having a twin at school because you always have someone there and you can help each other with homework and studying,” said Chanel Kallevig, sophomore and twin at Prior Lake High School. Although having a friendly face at school does seem nice, it doesn’t sound like the only benefit of having a twin around.

Sam Danger, sophomore at Prior Lake with a twin sister, said his favorite thing about having a twin is being able to do all sorts of stuff together and always having each other’s backs. Not only that, but he mentions how they are able to hang out and get along with the same friends almost always.

Looking at all of the possible upsides of growing up with a twin makes having one sound great. But, as with all siblings, there are always things to complain about.

Chanel said, “You don’t always get your own things and end up having to share a lot.” She said the main things she and her sister fight about is who gets the car and which clothes belong to who.

These aspects of a twin relationship may sound like they could apply to any siblings. But, there are definitely unique problems and situations that twins face that a regular family could not quite relate to.

“Teacher’s are constantly calling me the wrong name and people will talk to me about things they mean to say to my sister,” said Chanel. This seems to be one of the most frustrating parts of having a twin, along with constantly being compared to the other.

Although these two have only ever known life as having someone just like them every step of the way, sometimes they wish they could experience it a bit differently.

“I wish we were different ages so we could have our own, separate experience and wouldn’t have to share all of that,” said Sam. He and Chanel both feel this way on the topic but are still happy with the way things turned out.

Even if these twins occasionally wish they could lead a more typical, independent life, they still find ways to have some fun with the gift they were given.

Chanel said, “We can trick people since we look so much alike. We can sometimes do things for each other without other people knowing.” This scheme can come in handy to get one of the twins out of a jam, if need be.

An interesting, and commonly asked question about twins is whether or not twin telepathy is true or just a big hoax. These two helped try to clear that debate up.

Although Chanel claims she and her sister can’t quite read each other’s minds, Sam recalled a few instances where he and his sister would say the same things out of the blue or be having the same thoughts.

Although there are evident upsides and downfalls to having a twin brother or sister, it seems clear that these sets of twins will always have a lifelong friend and someone to lean on in one another.

Sam and his twin sister having fun while on a family vacation to Florida.