Why you should never call New Jersey twins clones

According to National Day Calendar, National Twin Day is December 18. A day for twins all across the country to celebrate.

As a father of identical twins myself, I can certainly tell you it's quite a unique experience. But there are some things my two New Jersey sons get annoyed by from others who think they're experts in twins.

Before I dive into that, I just wanted to clarify a few things when it comes to twins. It's quite normal for people to get confused about the different kinds of twins, and most comments are usually sparked by curiosity.

Let's first briefly break down the two main types of twins that are out there. Remember, no matter how alike twins are, they're all their own unique person.

Fraternal Twins

Fraternal twins are like any sibling out there, with the exception that they happen to share the same birthday (with rare exceptions). Fraternal twins may also look similar to one another, or completely different.

This kind of twin can be two boys, two girls, or a boy and a girl. It happens when two eggs get fertilized by two separate sperm.

Fraternal twins are the most common type of twin and can be genetic or by chance.

Identical Twins

Identical twins, on the other hand, happen when one egg gets fertilized by one sperm and then splits. The odds of having identical twins are the same worldwide and are not influenced by fertility treatments.

Identical twins are also only boy/boy or girl/girl. They cannot be boy/girl, so don't even try to argue otherwise.

If an egg splits late, it could lead to conjoined twins. And unlike popular belief, identical twins are not clones of one another.

What my Jersey twins don't like

I would think most identical twins out there would agree. My two are still in elementary school and absolutely hate being clumped together as a unit.

They don't like it when they're called clones of one another and insist they're nothing like one another. And I can tell you as their father, they do have very different personalities despite looking very similar to one another.

With that said, they also go into this "twin bubble" where only they understand one another. It's almost as if the world around them doesn't exist and it's only the two of them that are somehow connected mentally.

Twins are awesome

I'll say this. It's amazing to watch my boys grow up. For as alike as they can be, they're also very different.

I'm sure as they get older they'll start swapping places with one another. But never call treat them as a unit, they'll get annoyed at you.

But regardless if you're fraternal, identical, or any combination of triplets or more, you're all awesome. Especially twins from New Jersey who have that extra Jersey attitude.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.