Tag Archives: relationships

Twins: Team Players or Rivals

The media often reports about twin pairs who work together to create successful businesses. For example, the Olsen twins have been capitalizing on their twinship since they were toddlers. Their fashion line is currently a huge success owing to their name recognition and worldwide fame. Teman and Teran Evans are designers who run Dioscuri; Dean and Dan Caten are founders and owners of Dsquared, an international fashion house; Vera and Daphne Correll are the creators of the fashion label CorrellCorrell; […]

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Twins and Altruism

Recently, I commented about a pair of 21-year-old identical twin female tennis players qualifying for the first time at Wimbledon. Sadly, the twin who advanced to the next round could not fully celebrate the biggest win of her career because her twin sister had lost her match. If you are not a twin, you may find it hard to understand why the victorious twin had to downplay and deflect her success. Let me share Jeffrey Kluger’s definition of altruism from […]

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The Aha Moment

When I go to social events and talk about my professional obsession with twins, an aha moment inevitably accompanies my explanation about my work and research: “Wow, I never thought about that. That is so interesting.” It seems that most people know a twin, know someone who has twins, or went to school with a twin. For me, the moment is gratifying and surprising at the same time. It is validating because it underscores the ongoing societal perception of idealized […]

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Transitions

One mom at the New Zealand Multiple Birth Association conference shared how she has come to understand the importance of transitions when it comes to parenting. Her teenage twin boys have developed into very distinct persons. She is now cognizant about how each one might use the twinship—often as a crutch or as leverage to get what the other one has. These boys are in separate classes and have some separate relationships with other friends. This mom astutely sees that […]

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Twins and Birthdays

I was so thrilled that the moms at the New Zealand Multiple Birth Association conference celebrated my birthday with a stunningly delicious chocolate cake baked by one of the talented moms. I appreciated the thought and sentiment, especially after I told my audience that Jane and I had to share our birthday cakes and race to open our identical presents. I was having coffee today with a colleague who is an identical twin herself and the author of a well-respected twin […]

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