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“Their Responsibility”: Parent Flat Out Denies School’s Inane Request Involving Twin Sons
Worried parent holding forehead, reflecting on school request to make twins less similar for easier distinction.

“Their Responsibility”: Parent Flat Out Denies School’s Inane Request Involving Twin Sons

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Life can be interesting if you have a twin sibling. Apart from being able to prank people by confusing them, there’s a special bond between two people who were born a mere minutes apart. 

Life can also be complicated if you have a twin sibling. You may run into issues as these two boys did with their school’s medical officer, who had trouble telling them apart

This moment of confusion urged the school official to make an absurd request to one of the boys’ parents, a conversation that didn’t end well. 

RELATED:

    Having a twin sibling has its upsides and downsides

    Image credits: MaplesImages (not the actual photo)

    For these two boys, the problem began with their school’s medical officer

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    Image credits: drazenphoto (not the actual photo)

    Image source: Top-Relationship359

    People with twin siblings often deal with an identity crisis

    Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)

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    Like most people with a twin sibling, the two boys in the story likely struggled with their fair share of identity issues. According to educational consultant Dr. Barbara Klein, this is because identity development among twin children is already riddled with critical issues. 

    “Closeness breeds companionship, love, and struggles about who is who and what belongs to which one,” Dr. Klein wrote, adding that single children rarely wonder about “What belongs to me and what to you?” 

    Dr. Klein’s study has extensively focused on the development of twin identities. In another article, she listed the common hardships of being a twin, which included being compared to one another, even by strangers. 

    Dr. Klein adds that such comparisons often create chaos, which people without twin siblings may find “ridiculous.” 

    “Depending on who is evaluating the pair, these obnoxious questions/comments cause competition and sadness for the less confident twin,” she added. 

    It was unprofessional of the school’s medical officer to try to pass off her obligations to the boys’ parent. Worse, her comments about having the two become “easy to distinguish” were likewise rude and likely reinforced any identity crisis the children may already have been dealing with. 

    The author’s reaction would be the same as any other person’s in the same situation. They were correct in saying that it was the school’s responsibility to have the right child.

    Most commenters sided with the boys’ parent

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    Miguel Ordoñez

    Miguel Ordoñez

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

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    Miguel Ordoñez

    Miguel Ordoñez

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

    What do you think ?
    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What precisely did they expect mom to do, dye one blue with Rit?

    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have heard of parents painting the nails of each twin differently, but that is for babies, not 11 year olds.

    Load More Replies...
    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If the kids were lying about their identities for some kind of medication scam, maybe the school would have a point but isn't it a legal requirement to confirm a patient's name before giving meds?

    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If the patient is unconscious, it's useful to have another means of identification.

    Load More Replies...
    Oliver
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I was fully expecting I’d say it was a reasonable request based on the title. They’re twins and it’s about ensuring they get the right meds but it’s not like one is taking a serious prescription d**g and the other isn’t. Above all, they aren’t identical twins. Lots of siblings look similar. PLUS they’re required to wear uniforms, not a lot of room for the parents to make an obvious differentiation. The school is forcing them to look alike with identical clothing. If not for that, it would be reasonable to say “oh, Tim has red shoes and Bob prefers blue” or whatever unique trait they adopted as a matter of personal preference.

    Paula Glasscoe
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Most “distinguishing” items could easily be swapped anyway if the kids were intent on pranking the med officer, short of a tattoo or forcing them to have wildly differing haircuts you’d be hard pushed to find something foolproof.

    Load More Replies...
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    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What precisely did they expect mom to do, dye one blue with Rit?

    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have heard of parents painting the nails of each twin differently, but that is for babies, not 11 year olds.

    Load More Replies...
    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If the kids were lying about their identities for some kind of medication scam, maybe the school would have a point but isn't it a legal requirement to confirm a patient's name before giving meds?

    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If the patient is unconscious, it's useful to have another means of identification.

    Load More Replies...
    Oliver
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I was fully expecting I’d say it was a reasonable request based on the title. They’re twins and it’s about ensuring they get the right meds but it’s not like one is taking a serious prescription d**g and the other isn’t. Above all, they aren’t identical twins. Lots of siblings look similar. PLUS they’re required to wear uniforms, not a lot of room for the parents to make an obvious differentiation. The school is forcing them to look alike with identical clothing. If not for that, it would be reasonable to say “oh, Tim has red shoes and Bob prefers blue” or whatever unique trait they adopted as a matter of personal preference.

    Paula Glasscoe
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Most “distinguishing” items could easily be swapped anyway if the kids were intent on pranking the med officer, short of a tattoo or forcing them to have wildly differing haircuts you’d be hard pushed to find something foolproof.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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