Are Fraternal Twins Different from Normal Siblings?

Are Fraternal Twins Different from Normal Siblings?

Aneysa & Matthew: 7 months old at their first photo shoot.

              

            Aneysa and Matthew, we have heard our names linked together for the past twenty-five going on twenty-six years. Other names we have been called are “the twins” and “frats.” The last two names really defined us as twins, but as we got older we were given our own identities. Being separately called by our names, we were not identified as twins anymore, just siblings. Unless we were asked people assumed we were regular siblings, which we didn’t have a problem with since we were getting older.

Since fraternal twins are the same age, they are more like regular siblings than people may think once they get older. Twins are likely to have similar interests and be involved in similar hobbies, so they are likely to encounter same situations (Twins, 2008). For example, they may have the same allergies, diet habits, and behaviors, but they share about half of their genes. (Twins, 2008). Those similarities are shared by normal siblings and fraternal twins (Twins, 2008).

            There are a few differences between normal siblings that might have years between their age and fraternal twins. Siblings that are two years apart might not develop the same diseases. For example, my boyfriend Benjamin and his sister Tiffany are five years apart in age. Tiffany was diagnosed with lupus four years ago. Benjamin has been tested and does not have that disease, but his younger sister Tiffany does. When it comes to twins, they are more likely to have the same diseases (Twins, 2008). It doesn’t matter if the twins are identical or fraternal, they can develop the same type of disease (Twins, 2008).

            I have wondered whether mine and Matthew’s bond is strong because we are twins. After reading through this article, normal siblings are a lot like fraternal twins. There might be a “special bond” we have because we are twins, but the similarities we have are not just because we’re twins. Many other siblings feel protective over one another and feel like they need to be near the other. I’m not able to get over the fact that I don’t want to move out of state because I can’t bare being far away from him, and I will be the first person to come to his rescue when he needs it.

            Matthew and I have been tested for several different diseases. We haven’t been diagnosed with anything, but Matthew has had a cyst before and his eyesight is worse than mine. I have never had any type of cyst, but my allergies are bad. I am allergic to pollen, dust, and I react very badly to dry heat. Matthew has a minor allergy to pollen, but most of the time it isn’t bad enough to take allergy pills every day like myself. Our differences are similar in some ways, but we have more differences than similarities. If people were to look at a picture of the two of us, eight times out of ten, they wouldn’t think we were twins. Matthew and I have more characteristics of normal siblings, than twins.

Twins: Genetics (27 October 2008). Twins genetics. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from the Gale Science In Context database.