TWIN BROTHERS OR SISTERS

TWIN BROTHERS OR SISTERS

1. DEFINITION:

Twins are brothers or sisters who are born at the same time.

2. CLASSES OF TWINS:

According to the way of fecundation, twin brothers or sisters can either be:

• Monozygotic ("identical"): This is a greek-based word that means that one zygote splits and forms two embryos. This happens when a single egg is fertilized to create one zygote ("monozygotic") which then divides into two separate and different embryos.

• Dizygotic ("fraternal"): This word means that the twins are developed from two different eggs, each fertilized by separate sperm cells. It usually happens when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, fraternal twins result. Fraternal twins are, essentially, two ordinary siblings who happen to be born at the same time, since they arise from two separate eggs fertilized by two separate sperm, just like ordinary siblings. 

3. SOME REMARKABLE CHARACTERISTICS:

Twin brothers or sisters, specially the monozygotic kind ones, use to have very similar physical and behavioral characteristics, according to their usual response to external or internal stimuli.

They use to have a very close external appearance, use to look like each other or to behave or speak in a very similar way. That's understandable, but not only because of genetic reasons. They spend a lot of time together, they grow, sleep, play, learn at the same time, and they link with their environment from their early days together as well. When adults, it is not strange for twins to live together or to apply the same university degrees or the same profession. So it's very common to see in twin brothers very close reactions in the same situations, just from when they are toddlers. Sometimes that is caused by their parents or teachers, who talk to them in plural, or use to dress themselves in a very similar way or use to contact to them as if they were only one individual.

We should not forget that, although they look like each other, they are different human beings, with different sensitivity and different mood, circumstances, passions and live targets. And we must try to link with them not making them feeling strange because of this special condition.

Lucas González