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Tiki reflects on twindom

Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 9:15 AM by Sarika Dani

Day three of TODAY's special series on siblings was devoted to discussing twins, and here, Tiki Barber reflects on the nuances of his twinship between him and his brother Ronde.

Ronde and I have always done everything together. Some [things were] intentional, like playing football, and reaching the highest peaks in our respective positions, or collaborating to write five children's books, using our celebrity as athletes and our uniqueness as twins to promote reading and literacy for boys, in particular.

But some things were unintentional –  like the fact that we used to gravitate to each other when we slept, or that we both suffered from febrile seizures, and my mom told tells us that we would always seize at the same time. Also, even though Ronde dated blondes for most of his life, he married an Asian women, like me. (Even though technically, Claudia is from the South Pacific. He gets his briefs in a wad about that one … LOL). Also we had our first children, unplanned, one month apart, and our second [kids] six months apart. And two Christmases ago, we both got our wives the same watch without knowing. 

Two others: We decided at the same time that UVA was our school choice. And we both switched from PCs to Macs at the same time.

However, even though we are identical, we are also very different. This is the evidence for "nurture" in the debate. After we left school, our interest divided. I got into fashion, he got into golf.  He loves hip-hop, I prefer jazz and blues. I have two boys, and he has two girls. WATCH VIDEO

Related links: Slideshow: Celebrity siblings

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Comments

The Barbers were on with two women who recently wrote a book on twins.  Does anyone know either their names or the name of their book?  Thanks.   :-)

Ray DePuy, Euclid, OH (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 9:36 AM)

I am an identical twin, 53 years old and my twin brother Jack died two months ago suddenly from a heart attack. We were twins in every way and extremely close. I can't begin to describe the void in my life. Being a twin is like no other relationship. I am so thankful and proud to have had Jack as a brother, twin and best friend. I enjoyed your segment.

Jim Coffou Chicago, IL (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:16 AM)

What has been found out about twins where one is Austic and the other is not? Also I know two sets of twins where one is gay and the other is not. Also in these two families there is another gay brother.Would this not be an situation where much could be gained from studying their DNA?

Pat Aryain Seminole Texas (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:22 AM)

I am a fraternal twin of a boy girl set.  When people find out that I have a twin brother I always get the question "Oh, are you identical?"  This never ceases to amaze me - My response is usually: "No, that isn't possible we are two different sexes, thus can not be identical".  (laughter) But seriously, we have the same hair and eye color.

On the topic of being separate, in the 1960's & 1970's our school district would not allow twins to be in the same class, this was true in both elementary and high school.  This allowed us to become separate people.  In my particular class we had three sets of twins, two of which were identical.  The class before us had two sets of identical twins.  This rule also helped our classmates identify with us on an individual basis and not lump us together all the time as one unit.

Janet, Chicago, IL (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:28 AM)

I have 2 great aunts and they are very close. They are unique because their insides and outsides are NOT identical. One aunt's heart is on the right. I wonder how many twins can claim this to their 15 minuets of fame. I bet you would have been close to your brother even if you were not twins. God Bless, Dawn

Dawn, Sulphur, LA (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:36 AM)

I have a set of triplet daughters that are graduating high school this month.  They are not identical, but they look alot alike, all are redheads.  Two of them are going off to the same college and one is staying home.  This will be a new experience for them to be apart like that especially for the one staying home.  They have been in separate classes since the first grade, but never really have been away from each other for more than maybe a week.  They do have different personalities and likes and dislikes.  Two of the are very artistic and the other one likes to write and wants to maybe go into journalism, which she is doing in high school. Throughout growing up the have been called "the triplets" and they do get tired of that.  I have always tried to keep them individuals because they are.  Never let them think that they were any more special than anyone else.  They were just all born at the same time.  They were dressed differently, rarely the same.  There is so much more that I could write about them, but it would take alot of space.  They are a such good girls and a joy to have.  I will really miss them when they go off to college. They have their senior prom this saturday and my house will be full of girls getting ready.  So much fun.  I also have a step-daughter that is the same age that lives here with us, her mother passed away in 2000 from cancer.  The girls are very close and they really do get along with each other.  But all-in-all, they are individuals that do look alike and are the same age, and have their own identity and names, not "the triplets".

Robin Tiner, Bakersfield, CA 93312 (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 12:31 PM)

I recently gave birth to fraternal twin girls. I thought that since they were not identical they would easily have their own identities ,however, they are already being lumped together and labeled "The Twins" at less than a year old. The segment on twins has been very helpful because it seems like there is not a lot of information out there and most of it is conflicting anyway. I appreciate Tiki and Ronde and all of the other twins sharing their stories.

Caryn Kyte, Modesto, CA (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 1:36 PM)

I love this article because (you guessed it), I'm a twin! And like you, my sister & I often show up in the same outfit or send each other the same book that the other "just has to read"! When we were younger we slept in the same bed and no matter where you placed us in the bed, we'd end up right next to each other. We communicate through looks and half sentences that nobody else understands. It's a connection that you really only understand if you're a twin.

Thanks for sharing.

TwinB Honolulu, Hawaii (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 4:37 PM)

I am a 53 year old identical twin. My twin brother Jack died suddenly two months ago of a heart attack. I can't begin to explain the void in my life. We were identical in every way, we both even had our hips replaced and the same mole over our right eye. Having a twin was a remarkable and sometimes very unreal existence. The bond between us was stronger than I can describe. It was a great segment to watch as I could identify with most things said.

Jim Coffou Chicago,IL (Sent Wednesday, May 07, 2008 5:44 PM)

I really enjoyed your blog Tiki. I am a twin as well. My sister and I are identical, and even though its hard to tell us apart when you look at us, it is easy to when you are with us in person. We are completely different. She is more outdoorsy, and more athletic. She is also a airplane mechanic and works for Honeywell. For me I prefer the girly stuff like shopping and getting my nails done and I am going to school to be a teacher.  People always wonder how we are so different when we look so much alike! (LOL)

Heather Zugschwert, Taylor, Mich. (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 8:57 AM)



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