21 January 2023
BURDEN, Kan. (KSNW) – Seeing double or, in this case, triple? A Kansas family has learned to laugh when the topic of twins comes up in conversation.
Richard and Robert Tatum, 62, were born on April 1, 1960, in Burden, Kansas.
“We had a lot of fun in school because we looked a lot alike. We actually even played a prank on our wives one day,” laughed Richard Tatum.
“He is the oldest one, by the way. I kicked him out,” Richard chuckled.
The fraternal twins said they came as a surprise to their parents and extended family.
“Grandma in California called back to the hospital to verify that he (Richard and Robert’s dad) wasn’t pulling an April fool’s joke on him,” said Robert Tatum.
Jokes aside, the pair admits they enjoy being twins.
They have a built-in buddy, someone to confide in and enjoy life with. The same can be said for Richard’s sons, Matt and Josh Tatum, who are also twins.
“Growing up, everybody knew that dad and Bob were twins, so they were like, ‘There’s another set of Tatum twins,'” said Matt Tatum. “I think it’s pretty similar to having a brother, except it’s better because they are the exact same age, so everything you have is in common. You are going through everything in life at the same time.”
“The thing we get all the time is, ‘I know you are a Tatum. I don’t know which one you are or who you belong to, but I know you are a Tatum,” said Josh Tatum.
The “twin-sation” didn’t stop with Matt and Josh, 38. In October 2021, Matt and Josh’s sister, Sarah, gave birth to twin boys, Case and Caden.
“I was not surprised,” laughed Sarah LaGrone. “With the long line of twins in my family, my husband’s mom is actually a twin, and her uncle is a twin, so we would have been more surprised if there was only one.”
None of the sets of twins are identical, however, two of the three younger twins are left-handed. The family said it’s too early to tell if the same will be true for Caden, who is slightly younger than Case.
It seems another set of twins is not out of the question.
“I wouldn’t mind more twins because I like them playing with each other and watching them play with each other but maybe later,” LaGrone laughed.