Misinformed...

dalynnrmc · #1 December 17th, 2011, 10:23 PM

When people are talking about your kiddos, and the information they have on multiples or twins is just... well, just plain WRONG... do you correct them or just let it go?

Today we went carolling with the cub scouts up at the nursing home. One of the attendants there discovered our twins and was talking all about the twins in his family. He has "identical" twin sisters ("you can tell cuz they look JUST alike" he says LOL) and others he mentioned also.

Then he went to talking about how it must run in our family, or maybe in hubby's family. I told him that it didn't, that the only twins in our family were my mother's dad's sister has some twin granddaughters. He said, well that's blood, there you solved your own problem!! LOL Umm... no... how is my grandfather going to pass to me the tendency to drop 2 eggs at once? Not hardly. LOL

But, I just let it go. I didn't feel like he would be convinced, didn't want to sound like I'm smart and he's stupid, and just wanted to LEAVE and get out of the conversation. Unfortunately it lasted... and lasted... and lasted.... Ugh.

Anyway. What do you do in that kinda situation?

TexasDreams · #2 December 17th, 2011, 11:01 PM

i have boy girl twins and people still ask if the are identical. I just say no :-)

Rae-of-Sunshine · #3 December 18th, 2011, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasDreams

i have boy girl twins and people still ask if the are identical. I just say no :-)

That happens to me all the time. Sometimes I say, no they can't be, because .... and sometimes like you I just say no

Rae-of-Sunshine · #4 December 18th, 2011, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalynnrmc

Then he went to talking about how it must run in our family, or maybe in hubby's family. I told him that it didn't, that the only twins in our family were my mother's dad's sister has some twin granddaughters. He said, well that's blood, there you solved your own problem!! LOL Umm... no... how is my grandfather going to pass to me the tendency to drop 2 eggs at once? Not hardly. LOL

Actually (and I can't find it now so it is bugging me) .. I know I have read somewhere that they think the tendancy to have fraternal twins CAN be passed from a mother to her son (and then from a father to a daughter). Obviously the man himself is no more likely to have twins, because you are right it is the woman that has to release 2 eggs, but they tendancy to do that can be passed through a son to his daughters ... or so I read somewhere .. I just can't find it. Has anyone else heard this?

tundrababy · #5 December 18th, 2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rae-of-Sunshine

Actually (and I can't find it now so it is bugging me) .. I know I have read somewhere that they think the tendancy to have fraternal twins CAN be passed from a mother to her son (and then from a father to a daughter). Obviously the man himself is no more likely to have twins, because you are right it is the woman that has to release 2 eggs, but they tendancy to do that can be passed through a son to his daughters ... or so I read somewhere .. I just can't find it. Has anyone else heard this?

I read this somewhere too....My grandmother had twins (my dad & his brother) and then I had twins so who knows

But as to the original question, I rarely correct anymore its just not worth it. A couple days the Verizon rep asked me if they were identical, fraternal or paternal and I jokingly said paternal cause its all my husbands fault, he just had to get both eggs....the poor guy had no idea what I was talking about soooo I changed the subject lol

Celry · #6 December 18th, 2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rae-of-Sunshine

Actually (and I can't find it now so it is bugging me) .. I know I have read somewhere that they think the tendancy to have fraternal twins CAN be passed from a mother to her son (and then from a father to a daughter). Obviously the man himself is no more likely to have twins, because you are right it is the woman that has to release 2 eggs, but they tendancy to do that can be passed through a son to his daughters ... or so I read somewhere .. I just can't find it. Has anyone else heard this?

Yep, you're right. That's where people get the wrong notion that twins skip generations. The tendency to hyper ovulate can be passed from generation to generation. Obviously a male can't hyper ovulate, so it would "skip" his generation with his wife, but their female kids could get that tendency. Make sense? I had way too many genetics courses in college.

MarieJ · #7 December 18th, 2011, 07:38 PM

I just smile and nod-we're constantly being asked if twins run in our family, then someone comments on how much the twins look like dh--uh, sure

Smile and nod!

April Flowers · #8 December 18th, 2011, 08:53 PM

Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. It depends on how much of a rush I am in and if the people seem friendly or snarky.

owensmom · #9 December 19th, 2011, 09:13 AM

since I'm still pregnant its not too bad. But I have gotten a lot of ppl who ask if twins run in my family, I say no, they're identical. followed by a puzzled look from them, so I state that identical twins are random. i've also had a ton of ppl make a comment about whether they are b/g after I've just told them they are identical. that i usually just let go....i can't understand why people can't understand the concept of identical - they're the same! makes me question our education system. The saddest thing of all was when my brother's fiance said she thought they were boy/girl twins...she's a fraternal twin. and she knew they were identical. her response was - so, they can't be boy/girl? *facepalm*

To whoever asked about the male passing on the fraternal 'gene' - that is true. I don't have a cite either, but it does pass on...however, i think it was that her grandfather's sister had twin grandkids....it would depend on whether the mom or dad was related before it could be determined if it was 'in the family'.

my MIL kept saying the dumbest things about how twins run in her family too. first, even if they were fraternal, it wouldn't matter how many twins you have in your side - it depends on whether twins run in MY family. and all the twins she named off were ones where the male was related to her. It gave me great pleasure to inform her that none of them were "family/gene" related and no, twins do not run in her family.

dalynnrmc · #10 December 19th, 2011, 01:09 PM

My mother's cousin's daughter... yes, she's related. Grandfather's sister's daughter's daughter. UGH. Shutting up now.

I loved (hated) when, with the twins sitting in their side-by-side stroller, one dressed in a pink dress with a bow on her head and the other in blue and brown, people still asked if they were both boys.

She WILL grow hair eventually, right? *sigh*

But I was "smart" and dressed her in blue (but there were purple stripes!!) and didn't put in a bow when we went to the nursing home for carolling this weekend. Everyone thought she was a boy.

Again I ask, she WILL grow hair? Before she's school aged, I hope? :beg:

hopefulmom2be · #11 December 19th, 2011, 02:16 PM

I get the "are they identical" thing all the time for my boy/girl twins. I've found that when I say, "no, it's a boy and girl" that the person asking the question still doesn't get it, so now I just say no. what's funny about mine is that not only does one have a penis and the other doesn't, but they look absolutely nothing alike. they don't even look related, let alone identical. there is a set of toddler b/g twins in my building who look very similar and they have the same length hair, so i would understand if their mother got that question if they were wearing neutral clothing.

Rae-of-Sunshine · #12 December 19th, 2011, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalynnrmc

Again I ask, she WILL grow hair? Before she's school aged, I hope? :beg:

Yes, she will .. and I speak not from experience with my kids (cause they are just barely showing hair), but from my own. I had nothing but peach fuzz until I was almost 2 ... but it grew

my3sonsplus1 · #13 December 23rd, 2011, 03:51 PM

When people find out my boys are identical and then go on to ask if twins run in my family I do often correct them. It kind of depends on what I feel like doing at the time though.

Penguin115 · #14 December 28th, 2011, 07:18 AM

I have 15 month old b/g twins, while I don't get the are they identical line much anymore, I always get are they twins. I have thought of lots of bad comebacks but have never used them. I just say yes. I used to always get the are they identical thing, and I am like hello one has a penis and they don't even look alike!!! It was really annoying when it was someone I know ( and thought they were more intelligent than that ) asking.

I also get the do twins run in the family thing, I usually say no. They sort of do on my grandpa's side but mine were result of fertility treatment ( which only a few close friends know that). It used to bug me when my MIL would jump in and say no twins on her side. I had to fight back the urge to say now how exactly is your son going to cause me to release two eggs???? ugh

#15 December 28th, 2011, 01:39 PM

We have boy/boy twins who look NOTHING alike....there is a 5 to 6 pound and 2 inch difference between them....they have completely different features. We get ask if they are identical...I just want to say ya they are identical but yet they are not identical in ANY way. I get asked how we can be so sure they aren't identical like we are lieing or something....In our case it is an easy come back...our boys have different blood types which we knew with in minutes of their birth.