Over 75% of Americans have at least one other sibling. However, less than 1% of American births yield triplets. That means that less than one percent of the United States population understands what it’s really like to be raised at the exact same time as two other siblings. While there are benefits to being raised with siblings of the same age, the circumstance does have its downfalls. In the case of the Coccia sisters; however, there do seem to appear more positives than negatives to being a triplet.

Sisterhood

Amanda, Brianna, and Christina Coccia are sisters that will maintain a stronger bond than most sisters ever will. This is due to the sole fact that they are triplets. When asked if being a triplet could ever act as a wedge to rear them apart, a unanimous opposition to such a statement prevailed. Christina mentioned how the three sisters love each other no matter what. In addition, Amanda stated that she and her sisters are “a very tight knit bunch, and are always there for each other,” confirming Christina’s previous statement. It is no doubt that arguments do occur amongst the three sisters, but surely nothing that could fester into something of too serious a matter.

Personality Development

While all three sisters are similar in how they were brought up, each of their personalities couldn’t be more different. While Amanda enjoys reading books and studying foreign languages, Brianna prefers to spend her time making music. As for Christina, jewelry making has always been of interest. “We have similar taste in music, but that’s pretty much it. With the exception of a good TV show, we mostly keep our interests and hobbies in completely different universes,” stated Amanda after she was asked if her interests are similar to those of her sisters. Not to mention, Christina voiced how the three would participate in the occasional karaoke performance while on vacation, but that’s really it. Interestingly, it would appear that the nature in which the sisters were brought up really had little influence on the development of their personalities.

Finding a Voice

Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to situate oneself comfortably in society when it is as though she is sharing her slot with two other people. Amanda mentioned how “sometimes it is difficult to maintain my identity when we are always referred to as ‘the girls,’ ‘the triplets,’ or ‘ABC.’ A lot of the time we aren’t even called by our names, just our letters, which is a little disheartening.” Similarly, Brianna and Christina endure the feeling of misplacement as they are categorized as a unit, rather than as individuals. Although being a triplet leads to the occasional feeling of loss amongst society, all three sisters agree that the issue has subsided with age. After all, as one gets older, one grows increasingly independent; this inevitable fact of life holds true to the Coccia sisters.

Growing Up

When it comes to growing up in the Coccia sister household, there was never a dull moment, according to Tracey Schroeder, mother of the Coccia sisters. “Raising triplets was difficult, but rewarding,” she stated. “The watch definitely went out the window, though. I learned to be more easygoing and live life on the fly.” One can only imagine what it is like raising three girls only minutes apart in age. When it came to celebrating their birthday especially, there was much commotion as the sisters’ birthday is only a few days after Christmas, arguably making it one of the craziest times of year. While Christina enjoys sharing a birthday with two of her sisters, Amanda feels differently regarding the subject. “Sharing a birthday is sometimes annoying, especially since its only five days after Christmas. Often, our birthday, Christmas, and New Year’s are all clumped together. Most people’s birthdays are celebrations of them as individuals. Ours is nothing like that… When we were younger, we would always get the same gifts from family members. I could not tell you the amount of makeup kits, art boxes, hair brushes, dolls, etc that we got together.” Similarly to Amanda, Brianna wasn’t too fond over the idea of sharing a birthday either. However, she eventually warmed up to the idea, stating “I didn’t like it so much as a kid, but I do like it now. Nothing’s better than seeing them on my birthday. A gift of their time is enough to put a smile on my face.” Despite the chaos rendered by three completely different personalities and a shared birthday amongst them, a positive energy always prevailed. After all, their birthday is during the most wonderful time of year.