Meeting your friend's identical twin for the first time can fall into one of the following categories.
They may look indistinguishable from their sibling, regardless of whether or not they're wearing matching outfits.
Or they may resemble each other well enough but their mannerisms are different enough for you to tell the difference.
While it's fun as adults to become acquainted with your friend or partner's twin and noting similarities and distinctions, imagine what goes through the mind of an infant when they see their mommy or daddy's identical twin.
Redditor /KjellSkar asked:
"Identical twins with children, what was your baby's reaction when they saw your twin?"
Sixth Sense Baby
"My sis was with me almost every other day at the beginning, so my daughter always knew the difference."
"What was interesting was she knew my sisters voice before she was born. I would lay on my back and sis would be to one side. She would talk to the baby and my whole gut would move to be closer to her. She didn't do this for anyone else, not even my husband."
No Problem At All
"My dad has an identical twin - I just asked him if I/my sister/my cousins reacted in any way to seeing his twin or him and he said no!"
"From my memory, I never got them confused - could always tell which was which. Other people think they're completely identical even now but family have always been able to tell the difference, they just look and even sound like completely different people!"
Matching Outfits
"My dad has and identical twin and my siblings and cousins were always able to tell them apart except for when they were about to go hunting and had matching camo jackets and hats on. I still get confused when I see them dressed like that."
– Elder08
Creeped Out
"One of my parents was an identical twin. As a child I could still tell them apart but I was thoroughly creeped out by the twin. Lovely person, but it was just so uncanny."
"When someone looks identical but has different mannerisms, confidence and posture its kind of a mindf'k for a kid. Especially when it's your dad."
– zaraths
What Are You Doing Reaction GIFGiphyNonplussed
"I'm a twin with a daughter, she is possibly too young to care much. She just met my twin, and though she seemed content near him, there was no noteworthy reaction."
Are We Talking About Human Kids Still?
"According to my friend who has a twin sister, they noticed they looked alike when they were around three years old. The first twins reaction was to run around in a circle and then collapse from exhaustion. The second just stared at her twin and then ran around in a circle."
confused confusion GIFGiphyThe Hairy Situation
"My hub and his oldest brother look very much alike especially when bearded. Each of our kids have responded by running outside to find daddy after uncle has gone to his car. One time my son wanted to go with him."
Auntie Mom
"My mom is an identical twin and other than calling my aunt 'mom' a few times when she had her back to me it's never been an issue with me or my siblings/cousins. And that's not even an issue any more as they color their hair differently now."
– conan145
Whiplash Baby
"My fiance is the twin."
"Her twin brother invited us to a little gathering for their baby's birthday, a 1-year-old girl named Analise. When Analise saw my fiancé, she turned to see her dad, then my fiancé, then her dad, then my fiance, and so on, until he saw his mother and started crying."
The Fraternal Twins
"My husband is a fraternal twin but they look close enough that if you don't know them well or see them separately they get mistaken for the other, when my kids are babies they won't go to the twin at all and if the twins are together my littles won't have anything to do with daddy either for a few hours at least after the twin has left."
– t9pool