But What Does it Mean!?

My friend Becky, who is a mother of identical twin boys, wrote a blog post yesterday about the definition of identical. After reading the entry, I couldn't help but laugh. It was just so true!

Nathan and I learned we were having identical twins before we found out we were having two boys. When I told coworkers and friends that we at least knew we were having identical babies, the response from several people (more than three at least) was: "I hope you have a boy and a girl!"

Each time this happened, I was more than surprised (just because it didn't make logical sense someone could even think identical twins could be a boy and a girl). I tried to politely explain that we would either have two girls or two boys because that is how DNA works. It's hard not to sound like a complete jerk in these situations, so I generally said: "Well, our doctor actually said...." Yes. Blame it on the doctor so I don't seem like a snob.

One time, even after the entire doctor spiel, I still had to persistently argue that identical boy and girl twins were not possible. The friend maintained that he had grown up with identical boy and girl twins, so he knew it existed. Finally, I gave up. It really wasn't worth winning that argument.

p.s. If you were one of those people, please don't be offended. Obviously, it is a common misconception!