It's a Twin Thing

About a year ago I wrote a blog post about the "Florida Twin Project," a study that my twins are participating in. This summer I received another research packet from Florida State University asking me if I would like to continue to participate in the study. Because I am very interested in the mystery that is twins, I agreed to have my girls continue to participate.

The main purpose of the study is to find out how much genetics vs. environment influence a child's ability to read. So far the study has found that various types of reading skills are influenced by a common set of genes. It has also found that beyond genetic factors, kids in high quality classrooms were able to reach their potential much more easily than those who were not in high quality classrooms. Not much of a mystery there. The need for good teachers and the need for schools that are committed to a high quality of education is as important as ever.

In addition to the information about the study, the newsletter also listed a few "Twin Fun Facts." I thought I would share them with you. I find them interesting, maybe you will too.

Twin Fun Facts-

• Identical twins share the same DNA, but will have their own fingerprints.
  
• China has the lowest rate of twinning in the world, about 1/300 births.
  
• Once you have had one set of fraternal twins you are 3 to 4 times more likely to have another set. (Yikes, that's why our twins were my last pregnancy!)
  
• Gemellology is the study of twins and the phenomenon of twinning.
  
• The average time between the delivery of the first and second twin is 17 minutes. (Mine were born 1 minute apart...thanks Doc!)
  
• The Florida State Twin Registry includes over 2,600 pairs of twins and other multiples, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world.

She is a SuperMoM!

As the mom of twins, I am always intrigued by the stories and experiences of other MOM's (Mother's of Multiples). Each and everyone of us have stories that will make your head spin.

This week the featured blogger over at Multiples and More is Heather. She is the mom of six kids, under the age of 6. Yes, that is right, her first two were individual births and her last four are two sets of identical twins. Wow! She has an incredible story and a great blog. To learn more about her and read her story go to It's Twinsanity! or Multiples and More.

Twin Fun Facts

My twins are currently participating into a study being conducted by Florida State University called the "Florida Twin Project on Reading." The goal of the project is to understand the underlying causes of individual differences in reading-related skills. The project compares data collected from sets of identical and fraternal twins. My girls are not aware that they are participating in the project. They simply take the same standardized tests that all Florida public school students take. The Florida State University researches then take their test scores and compare them to those of other fraternal and identical twins.

From time to time we receive a newsletter about the progress of the study. This months newsletter contained a few Twin Fun Facts that I found interesting, and I thought I would pass them on.

1. There are over 125 million twins in the world.

2. The birth rate of twins is about 32 per 1,000 births.

3. Between 1996 and 2006, the percentage of multiple births in Florida grew by more than 19%.

4. About 1/3 of all twins are identical and 2/3 are fraternal. My twins are fraternal, but are often mistaken for identical.

5. Over 20% of twins are left handed, but only 10% of the general population are lefties. My twins are both righties.