You look across from you to reach out and touch someone who seems to be popping out of the mirror. They have eyes the same as yours and besides a few freckles and maybe the shape of their face, you could pass as the same person. However, you aren’t just looking at a reflection, you’re looking at your twin.

Being a twin is something that is often talked about. The idea of having someone who is just like you in a lot of ways is appealing to many people. However, the majority of people don’t know what being a twin is actually like.

Grace and Emily Nelson (11) are identical twins, and there are a lot of things that twins have to deal with that aren’t always talked about.

“The thing that drives me nuts is the birthday cake. We can only have one. Or, when we’re choosing to go out to eat someplace, only one person can choose,” Emily said.

The twins have had to share things like cars, bedrooms and gifts their whole lives, but one thing that was really difficult was sharing their first phone.

“It didn’t go so well. I was on [the] cross country [team], and Emily wasn’t. So, when I needed to be picked up, she had the phone and I had to walk home after I had just run three and a half miles,” Grace said.

Although sharing things can be tough on the twins, they are both glad that they have someone who is always there for them.

“You have somebody that you can always relate to, and when you’re having a bad day, they always understand you,” Emily said.

According to Emily, the twins have a normal sibling relationship, but on a much deeper level. They’ve gone through everything together and have so many first experiences with each other.

Although the twins are glad that they always have each other, there are certain things that come with being twins that can be hard to handle.

“It sometimes gets annoying, because I’m constantly being called the wrong name,” Grace said.

The twins get their names mixed up frequently, and that contributes to feeling a lack of personal identity at times. There are a lot of things that the twins have in common, and it can be hard for them to feel like themselves at times.

“We’re basically involved in all of the same activities, and we look exactly alike, and we have the same friends. It’s nice sometimes, because you can relate to this person about all of these things, but at the same time, it’s like, ‘What do I have that’s special about me?’” Emily said.

In eighth grade, Emily and Grace decided to use the fact that they’re identical to their advantage. The Nelson twins had a “twin day” at school, so they decided to dress the same, making it very difficult for their peers to tell them apart. The twins pretended to be each other and switched science classes. Unfortunately, they also traded eyeglasses, and had different prescriptions, so they couldn’t see much. Their plan didn’t work very well because their teachers were able to figure it out.

Although they’re identical, their mom can tell them apart easily, so the twins have never been able to trick her.

“Our mom has a creepy ability to tell us apart. We can be standing 60 feet away with our backs turned, and she can be like, ‘GRACE! Why didn’t you do the dishes?’” Grace said.

Overall, the twins are both glad that they have each other in their lives, even though it gets tough sometimes. Being a twin is something that isn’t easily explained or understood, but there is definitely a deep connection among twins who have spent their whole lives together.