Among other things, the teenage years are about developing an identity and an original style. But what would you do if your twin sibling kept watching your every move and copying your interests and hobbies?

This 16-year-old did not react very well and just told his brother to get his own life.

But after their parents sided with his copycat brother, he was left second-guessing himself.

Let’s read the whole story and see how things played out.

AITA for telling my twin brother to stop copying me and to get his own life

So for some context, I 16M have a twin brother, also 16M who I’ll call Jake.

Jake has always copied me, and I don’t know why. At first I wasn’t too annoyed but now It’s really grating on me.

He noticed a pattern.

So far I’ve never had a hobby that has been my own, because the moment I joined he was right there with me.

We have the same social group as well, and it’s really starting to annoy me that he’s always there. Whatever interests I have.

I like MMA, I’m in the wrestling team, and I like writing poetry. He always has to watch the same shows, films, and read the same books as me.

Even if he doesn’t understand it, if I’m reading/watching, he will.

Even in the more niche things, his brother will take notice and take action.

My friend/writing buddy Natalie suggested I read Paradise Lost, and I saw him reading that exact book even though he probably can’t even comprehend it.

When I joined the wrestling team he kept bragging to the others how the coach let me in based on his recommendation, even though I joined first. He just copied me.

He feels like he’s being spied on.

The only safe haven I had was writing poetry because he didn’t know I did it.

Natalie and I usually meet at the library to discuss our work and other interesting authors like Kafka or Tolstoy.

We were talking about a certain book in the halls, and I saw my brother reading it this afternoon.

Things didn’t feel his own anymore.

I quit the wrestling team recently because my brother was getting on my nerves, I left MMA for a similar reason.

My mom asked me at dinner why I quit and I didn’t go into it.

She pressed me for an answer and I snapped and said because he always bloody follows me everywhere.

We have the same friend group, same everything, and I yelled at him to leave me the hell alone and get his own life.

But his parents don’t understand his side of the story.

My mom said that he just wants to be closer, and I replied that the problem was that he was too close. I literally had no space to develop my own personality away from him.

My mom said I was being rude and ungrateful and sent me to my room.

It’s really upsetting to him.

Honestly, I feel like he is that creature from that Midnight episode from Doctor Who.

My dad sided with my mom and said he would have loved to have a brother like that.

I’m planning on joining my school’s literature/writing club, so hopefully my brother leaves me alone then, since I can’t imagine he has any original thoughts.

AITA?

Whether his parents agree or not, identity theft is not a joke, and millions of families suffer every year.

But let’s see if Reddit has any insights into this situation.

A twin shares their experience.

Some advice.

This reader shares their opinion.

This person has a different take.

Another reader chimes in.

Yup.

Both need to talk honestly and figure out a solution, but he has a point.

While his brother is okay with taking inspiration, he just wants freedom to be his own person, authentic and original.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.