Saw two miniature Draco Malfoys today.

[conuly]

No, really. A pair of boys, dressed alike, who looked honest-to-God like Draco must've looked at age five, if he'd happened to wear nice quality Muggle clothing.

And then I saw the third one. Triplets. All dressed alike.

Sunday, I went out with Deniz, Ana, and Su while the respective other adults were busy. (There's another story about that coming, but wait until my thoughts make sense, 'k?) And the whole day was a mess of me yelling one, two, or even three wrong names (Evangeline wasn't even there, but I kept calling her name!) before I hit upon the correct one for the child I was intending to correct.

These kids don't look alike, and they sure weren't dressed alike. And I couldn't get their names right for the life of me.

So here's my question - why do people dress their multiples, especially those identical or very similar in appearance, alike? I'm not judging or criticizing, exactly, they clearly have their reasons - but whatever those reasons are, I simply can't fathom. And I want to know, I really do. All I know is that I don't have the brain power to do it, I'd go absolutely batty and the children in question would grow up insecure and altogether a bit confused about their own names.

So I just don't get it.

Thoughts? Answers? Help?

(I also met another young Topher today. This is me, being startled.)

Comments

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

The only thing I can come up with is that it makes it easier to toss the clothes on them. No need to differentiate between each kid, or any 'He has the blue shirt and I want the blue shirt D:' type things.

That's the best I can drag up.

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

our twin boys at daycare came in matching long sleeve shirts yesterday. they're identical except for a birthmark on one's arm...which was clearly hidden. One has a freckle on his face, but it's so pale I can't really see it, at least not from any sort of distance.

they often wear the same thing in a different color, which isn't so bad. you get used to it after you initially figure out who's in which. I wouldn't do it for my kids because it's just double the clothes to buy-if you never dress them alike, then they can share when they're little.

[sparkofcreation.livejournal.com]

I had friends in elementary school who always dressed alike but in different colors (and always the same colors--one had pink and yellow, the other had purple and blue). That was really useful, actually.

And there was an adult Topher at my church in NJ.

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

Thought I'd let you know that the community books which you are a maintainer of is now featured on the Icelandic version of the LJ front page (http://www.livejournal.com/?uselang=is).

...and I was amused to see that you maintained it ; )

[adina77.livejournal.com]

I dont get it either. That would confused me as to what kid is what name. even if they were my own! I rather have my twins or triplets wear separate clothes thank you very much.

[conuly]

That's the other thing, I tend to think that dressing kids exactly alike is a little tacky. I mean, I'm not going to say that to somebody, but I prefer to see kids in similar, not matching outfits. Same colors, different cuts, or same cuts different colors. It makes the point that they're together, without being identical.

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

The mother of one of the sets of twins I was friends with in college said that it was a matter of speed -- choosing/buying, washing, hanging up, and laying out two of the same thing was quicker than trying to handle two separate sets. She didn't make her kids wear the same outfit, but they usually wanted to, so it was faster to have two of the same thing on-hand rather than have the boys throw simultaneous tantrums over who got to wear the t-shirt. ;)

As a funny side-note... I'm severely prosopagnotic, but in most cases, I had *less* trouble distinguishing between identical twins than non-prosopagnotics did. (Most cases. My first boyfriend and his twin did find ways to get around it for a brief time that they were the same size in college.)

[conuly]

Ah. Now, that makes sense, at least for older kids (though the question still is in my mind for babies - something else is going on there, I suppose).

Thankies.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

The only thing I can come up with is that it makes it easier to toss the clothes on them. No need to differentiate between each kid, or any 'He has the blue shirt and I want the blue shirt D:' type things.

That's the best I can drag up.

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

our twin boys at daycare came in matching long sleeve shirts yesterday. they're identical except for a birthmark on one's arm...which was clearly hidden. One has a freckle on his face, but it's so pale I can't really see it, at least not from any sort of distance.

they often wear the same thing in a different color, which isn't so bad. you get used to it after you initially figure out who's in which. I wouldn't do it for my kids because it's just double the clothes to buy-if you never dress them alike, then they can share when they're little.

[sparkofcreation.livejournal.com]

I had friends in elementary school who always dressed alike but in different colors (and always the same colors--one had pink and yellow, the other had purple and blue). That was really useful, actually.

And there was an adult Topher at my church in NJ.

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

Thought I'd let you know that the community books which you are a maintainer of is now featured on the Icelandic version of the LJ front page (http://www.livejournal.com/?uselang=is).

...and I was amused to see that you maintained it ; )

[adina77.livejournal.com]

I dont get it either. That would confused me as to what kid is what name. even if they were my own! I rather have my twins or triplets wear separate clothes thank you very much.

[conuly]

That's the other thing, I tend to think that dressing kids exactly alike is a little tacky. I mean, I'm not going to say that to somebody, but I prefer to see kids in similar, not matching outfits. Same colors, different cuts, or same cuts different colors. It makes the point that they're together, without being identical.

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

The mother of one of the sets of twins I was friends with in college said that it was a matter of speed -- choosing/buying, washing, hanging up, and laying out two of the same thing was quicker than trying to handle two separate sets. She didn't make her kids wear the same outfit, but they usually wanted to, so it was faster to have two of the same thing on-hand rather than have the boys throw simultaneous tantrums over who got to wear the t-shirt. ;)

As a funny side-note... I'm severely prosopagnotic, but in most cases, I had *less* trouble distinguishing between identical twins than non-prosopagnotics did. (Most cases. My first boyfriend and his twin did find ways to get around it for a brief time that they were the same size in college.)

[conuly]

Ah. Now, that makes sense, at least for older kids (though the question still is in my mind for babies - something else is going on there, I suppose).

Thankies.