Twin dynamics are fascinating to watch. You would think being born 2 minutes apart would have no bearing on twins falling into the rolls of oldest and youngest....but sometimes it seems to.
My first twin, J, is scrappy and scampy and taking his job of Age Two Boundary-Testing way too seriously at the moment. *insert 500 eye rolls* But he is very nurturing and seems to look out for his brother more than I'd expect a toddler to. Here was tonight's entertaining scenario:
R and I are hanging out on our trampoline. J bursts onto the scene. We are happy to see him! But oh no! There's only one ball to roll around on. I suggest to J that he retrieve the other ball from the middle of the yard. R, who overhears more than he lets on, shoots out of the trampoline and beelines for the yard. J knows exactly where he's headed. He also knows R is faster than him. Nostrils flare, angry shrieks ensue as J hunts R down. R picks up the ball and turns around just as J reaches him and wrenches it away. J strides back across the yard, but is stopped in his tracks by the sound of R's forlorn crying. He swivels around, returns the ball to R, and heads back to the trampoline as if nothing happened.
In general, I encourage sharing, but I definitely don't force it, especially if one child is already happily playing with something. But it's not uncommon for J to relinquish something he was using first if R gets upset enough.
Does this sound like Oldest vs Youngest or what? As I have time, I'll continue sharing these little Twin Dynamic vignettes. They are together all the time, so I'm sure another funny one is just around the corner.
Have you or anyone you know experienced something similar with twins? Is it common for them to slip into roles similar to what you'd expect from the Oldest and Youngest?