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Growing up Together
A Story of Twinship By Teri Brown
Raising children is a rewarding and challenging task, and oftentimes having twins just doubles the intensity. Twin toddlers, twin tweens and twin teenagers can seem overwhelming even if the twins get along well. If they argue a lot forget it!
But the bond twins have often strengthens as they become adults, and this knowledge can be encouraging to a mother of two active, fabulous and exhausting twins! Here is the story of one set of twins whose friendship and commitment to one another has never dimmed through the good times and the bad.
The twins' bond was tested early during a period of hard times their parents were divorced when they were 7. Their father was addicted to both speed and alcohol, and their mother remarried within the year to another alcoholic.
"He was verbally abusive and our home was chaotic," says Holly. "Both Heidi and I coped in different ways. Heidi (as the older twin) took on the role of the 'hero' and excelled at outside activities. I took on the role of a caretaker, caring for our younger sisters. Both of us were parentified and became responsible at an early age."
Because of the circumstances, their twinship was tried in ways that many are not. "Being a twin really helped us cope with this difficult situation by buffering us from our stepfather's cruelty," says Heidi, also married with five children of her own. "We would stand up for each other. Most of all her constant companionship, whether I was mad at her or not at the time, gave us a stability our other sisters didn't share. We have grown even closer as adults."
