Texas Twins Events- Two Generations Of Compensating Personalities…
When you are a twin, you have a built in best friend. My sister and I see each other daily and believe it or not, love spending time together. For traditional siblings this might sound odd but twins have a unique relationship that has been studied for generations.
Like many twins, we have different styles of dressing and rarely dress alike. My sister loves comfirysvoe clothing while I like to add a bit of Bling to my wardrobe. The only arguments we have are often about me trying to “dress her up.” Cindy hates dressing up but occasionally gives in.
Last year at our first Twin Festival in Ohio, we argued over clothing options for weeks because we hadn’t dressed alike since we were children and whatever outfit she liked, I didn’t. We finally gave in to each other but laughed after reading about the Gantz Twins epic argument over their clothing because twins don’t love dressing alike as much as everyone thinks.
While many of our twin friends choose to dress alike daily, half of them don’t. It’s rare to see us dressed alike and last year our mini me twins decided that after a lifetime of dressing alike, they wanted to wear different clothing.
Maryssa likes to dress up and Makenna (like Cindy) enjoys comfortable clothing. Cindy enjoyed choosing their outfits and (like me) was surprised they had decided to stop dressing alike but twins often want to be different although they share many similar traits.
Working together isn’t as unusual for twins as it might sound since many twins prefer to be together. Years ago, it was thought that splitting twins up would help them develop their own personalities. The truth is that separation causes immense anxiety for twins who prefer the company of one another. Who better to spend your time with than a built in best friend?
A few sets twins we know can’t stand each other which confuses us but it’s rare. Most twins celebrate having a built in best friend and losing a twin is one of the greatest fears among our twin friends. It’s a life changing tragedy that only a twin would understand. Our grandfather was an identical twin and after the death of his brother never recovered. It was a loss that forever changed him.
As children, my sister and I were separated in elementary school which caused me great anxiety. This year our second generation twins chose to take separate classes at middle school which surprised and dissapointed us because we had fought for Twin Laws that give the parents the right to keep twins and multiples together in public schools.
Although we were worried about it, Maryssa and Makenna aren’t on the same level in many of their classes. Makennna often helped Maryssa with school projects and Maryssa cares more about the social aspects of school far more than the learning curriculum.
Makenna finally gets her braces taken off in a few months and although she really wanted (and needed) them, hates the way they look. She was uncomfortable in elementary school about her smile and I’m hoping she’s not only happy with the end result but that she wears her retainers.
My son and my niece both had braces and skipped wearing their retainers which would’ve kept their teeth straight but didn’t because they both hated their retainers. Im pretty sure Makenna will wear hers after 3 years in braces though.
A few months ago, Makenna decided that the stress of a new school was too much for her and asked to be home schooled. Cindy and I were shocked about her idea but due to the stress and anxiety of moving to a new school for Makenna, decided to find out more.
The transition from elementary to middle school wasn’t only hard for Makenna but also her friend Mia. Mia’s grandmother told my sister that Mia hated 7th grade and wanted to be home schooled. Change is especially hard in the 7th grade for many children.
When Cindy and I moved to Oklahoma with our dad years ago, it was the worst experience of my life. I missed my friends in Lompoc, California and didn’t adjust well. My stuttering landed me in Special Education which only made my school life worse because of bullies. It was the first time that we had ever rode a bus to school and thankfully, the last. By the time we moved to Texas from Oklahoma, my speech had improved dramatically but it wasn’t from school, it was from singing along to the radio. Oklahoma City was the worst school we had ever been to and although I’m sure my dad didn’t realize that up and moving would be hard on us, it was. Cindy has kept the twins in the same school district because she doesn’t want them to face the struggles we did but apparently, seventh grade is a struggle regardless for Makenna. It’s sad because you want your kids to have a great experience in school but it’s something you cannot control.
I feel that this change will cause problems with their relationship and Makenna might be missing out on social aspects that school bring to childhood but time will tell.
Makenna is focused on her schoolwork far more than Maryssa so this transition may actually work for her. Only time will tell but I know that Maryssa will miss having Makenna at school with her so this “school separation” makes me a little nervous.
Cindy and I spent years apart while I worked in high end sales and she became a stay at home mom who often worked part time after her daughters were in middle school. The best decision I’ve ever made was to create a business where we could spend more time together.
Many of our TwinFriends understand our choice and when our second generation twins were young, they accompanied us to all of our weddings and events often “working” as flower girls, ring bearers and ushers for “tips” at Texas Twins Events or “flips” for Pawning Planners Clients.
We loved having our entire family with us at events but now that my son, daughter in law and niece have their own photography bookings, it’s often Cindy and I at weddings these days as our older children have “branched out” from Texas Twins Events and created their own businesses for Photography. Maddy & Me for Leigh Ann Blais and Steph & RC for Robert & Stephanie Hafele. Like Cindy and I, our adult children travel to destination events and are often in other states working.
When I started Texas Twins Events, I only had Cindy as my partner. Cindy handled photography while I Officiated or orchestrated event services and often handled the floral designs too. Our adult children joined us when it became clear that Cindy enjoyed entertaining guests far more than being behind the camera.
My sister is hilarious and belongs in front of a camera and certainly not behind it. Cindy is also the creator or #Cindyism Quotes used on Pawning Planners Apparel and has created quite a following for her iconic Redneck Reality Quotes. Cindy keeps me laughing wherever we are and whatever we are doing. When you are in the Events business, you aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty! 
Since the twins are now 13, their free time is often spent on social media for Maryssa and studying for Makenna. Both of them want to go to college and put off marriage or children in favor of finding a career path first and marriage second. Maryssa loves fashion and makeup and Makenna loves animals and puppies. They are both popular with our LBGT Clients and love attending fundraisers and events with us including the No Hate Campaign with Adam Bouska.
Maryssa and Makenna are both fair skinned while my twin sister and I are not which raises questions. The reasons for our darker skin tone and hair color are mixed heritage. Our grandfather was a full blood Cherokee Indian and our grandmother Scottish hence the red hair, green eyes and olive skin. The twins mother is also fair skinned as Cindy’s ex husband was Swedish/German. Larry Mahaney also had blue eyes which may be why the twins don’t have green eyes like Cindy and I.
Maryssa and Makenna will be taller than Cindy and I too because they are already the same height as we are. They loved their first visit to Twinsburg and can’t wait to go back to the one place in the world “where a twin can be a twin!” Twinning is celebrated at the Twins Days Festival and if you’re a twin you should definetly make the trip.
Twin families may be different to non twins but they share a very close and tight knit family relationship. While we hope they will choose the same college and grow up together, we know that our second generation twins will always have each other to lean on.
My sister and I were thrilled to be gifted with another generation of twins which isn’t as rare as many people think because twins actually do run in families. Our family has 8 sets of twins who like us, live near one another, work together and spend all of their family get together.
As we look forward to another year of meeting new families and new adventure, I’m hoping that home schooling works out for Makenna and that maybe removing her braces will help her feel more confident in the long run…only time will tell.