Blog: Yes, I am a Triplet

I’m a triplet. It’s a pretty normal thing to me because it’s all I have ever known. When someone hears that Madison, Alex and I share a birthday, however, they always have the same reaction:

A quick gasp, followed by a “That’s so cool!” or “I’ve never met anyone who is a triplet before!”

Then they ask the same questions, to which we give the same answers:

“Do you like being a triplet?”
“Yeah, we’re all pretty close.”
“Are the other two brothers or sisters?”
“One brother, one sister.”

We’ve been asked these questions countless times, and realized some people have very uninformed ideas of what comes with being a triplet. Many people are highly surprised when they learn that triplets don’t always look alike. A few are so gullible that my siblings and I have duped them into believing we can send each other mental messages or share a special connection in which we know what the other is thinking. We are not some mythical beings with supernatural connections or special powers. The three of us are just like any other teenage siblings, except people aren’t used to seeing three kids who are the same age and are family.

One downside to being a triplet is that instead of being “Nick” I become “one of the triplets.” I often don’t tell people I’m a triplet nowadays without them asking first, because I don’t want it to define me. Most people probably don’t think about something like that, but really it is hard when people stop referring to you as an individual and instead a unit. It could be worse though; at least we aren’t identical.

Despite the identity issues, we are very used to being together and I know in the future it will be harder doing things by myself because I’m almost never alone. My brother and I have always had the same friends, played the same sports, and had somewhat similar interests. I know that I will miss them, but I’m trying to prepare myself for non-triplet life. If we do end up going to the same college, I will probably try to join a different fraternity than my brother. I am faced with the challenge of being close with my brother and sister, but still be able to function when they aren’t around. I think being a triplet gives us a much tighter connection than most other siblings because we have far more in common.

When we moved here, I felt all alone in a place I’ve never been, like an outsider with nothing to connect me to the new kids around me. The one factor that prevented me from losing all hope were my brother and sister who were going through the same things as I was. We became extremely close after moving to Kansas. I can’t imagine life without my other two thirds.