Written by Barbie Heit

“After 17 years of living with my identical twin girls, I have figured out the way to survive—capture the loving, happy times on film and STAY AWAY from the fighting unless blood is drawn!

As babies, they played and giggled endlessly. As they grew into toddlers, they shared each and every milestone within a week’s time. The early grades of school brought some healthy competitiveness and the middle-school/high school years turned their bond into a complete love-hate relationship. They couldn’t seem to go more than a few hours without fighting. An hour later, they’d be inseparable again. I gave up on getting involved—it never mattered. It was their bond, their struggle, and their incredible identical twin relationship. I’ve always wondered..,Do they get it? Do they realize how lucky they are? A built-in best friend for life….a person who knows and loves you and shares so much of who you are?

Now that it’s almost time to separate for college (their choice to attend separate schools), I finally have my answer. My daughter, Carlie, is a writer for her high school newspaper. She wrote this article below, and after reading it, I can finally see…..yes, they get it:

Identical twins Carlie Schwaeber ‘12 and Sami Schwaeber ‘12 have created all of their memories together, including getting ready for the County’s dance junior year. I don’t think I have ever spent more than a week away from my twin sister, Sami. We share clothes, have the same sense of humor, have primarily the same friends, and as nauseatingly cliché as this is to say, she is my best friend. Now, let’s not be ridiculous. Sami drives me up the wall sometimes, especially when she tells me to stop eating with my mouth open when she is eating just as disgustingly. Yet, no matter how many silly arguments we get in, we usually forget about them within an hour or so. More