More than 36 years ago, my sister, who lives in Minnesota, had twins. They were her first children, and, as you might imagine, she and her husband had their hands full — apparently not enough, though, as they had another child about 16 months later. As a result, the Minnesota twins were more like triplets.
I saw my nieces and nephew frequently, and I enjoyed every minute. I still do. I was — and continue to be — a proud uncle, but the smiles those kids brought to their grandparents were beyond compare. The twin girls did a modeling shoot for Target when they were toddlers, and their images were on very large display cards hanging in stores across America. Target gave several of the boards to my sister, and she passed one along to my dad, who immediately — and proudly — nailed it on a wall in his kitchen. Yes, his kitchen. It created a great point of conversation for anyone who entered his home.
At the time, my aunt said she tracked more than two dozen sets of twins in our family history. As such, Jolene and I were convinced our first newborn would turn out to be two newborns. I was envisioning a couple of hard-nosed boys who I would teach to wrestle. We didn’t have twins. Or boys. Or wrestlers. But we do have three wonderful daughters who sang and danced and made us smile — and continue to.
I now realize that my aunt’s research may have been a bit flawed, as I have not been able to find any information on twins even close to her number. Much like my mother’s proclamation that my great, great grandmother was Cherokee, the stories aren’t always based on fact.
I continue to wonder what it would have been like to grow up as a twin. My next oldest brother and I are close, but he is four years older than me. I can’t imagine having a sibling who I would have spent nearly every moment with throughout my childhood — and beyond. Looking the same. Dressing the same. Acting the same. Thinking the same. It has to be incredible.
This month, we share the stories of local families that have experienced the joys and tribulations in raising multiple birth children. It is a fascinating read that I enjoyed very much, and I hope you will, too.
As always, I thank you for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Lake Panorama Times
641-332-2707
shane@gctimesnews.com