Emerging personalities

[speedymama]

Grandparents visited this weekend and like us, they are fascinated by the emerging personalities of our 27mo twin sons. DT1 is definitely the leader and he likes to fiddle with anything mechanical. He is persistent and does not give up until he has figured out how some device, like a radio, operates. He is very affectionate, carefree and tactile but can be wilful and obstinate. He is confident in the house but when we are in the garden, he turns into the adhesive kid and won't leave me alone (lol).

DT2 is more cautious in his approach to anything new (people and things). He is not as ebullient or as confident as his older twin but is extremely defiant. He likes to follow his brother around and tends to copy him a lot. He is not as tactile as his brother but likes to stay near. He is easily upset and so is far more sensitive. I'm hoping that the fact that he copies his brother does not mean that he will be easily led when he is older.

DFIL commented on the fact that we are subconciously disciplining them differently and until he pointed it out, I had not realised that was happening. With DTI we get more response if we use the stick approach (not literally!) but with DT2, the carrot approach definitely works best.

Fascinating reading speedy, mine are very different too and yet so similar and at 22 months (b/g) are showing no signs of being leader or follower, only both at different times !! They seem to each be like a half of my DD.

I understand your comment about the carrot/stick though - so difficult!

Do you find their language is developing at different rates?

Hi FG,
The older twin is more advance with his intelligible speech but they can understand each other. I lie in bed listening to them babble in the morning and they have a really good conversation(lol). They both can string at least 2 words together like "daddy gone" but they are now starting to use 3 word sentences like "daddy gone work".

It is so fascinating following their progress, particularly when I consider how tiny they were at birth. We are learning by trial and error the best way to discipline each child but I think it is working because on the whole, they are very good. We have not been inflicted yet with an hour long raging toddler tantrum and I'm hoping it will stay that way.

What amazed me was the fact that one day I could hardly understand their babble, the next day, I could decipher what they were saying. This seem to happen once they turned 2 so get ready for a deluge of words! I call mine the "Stereo Twins" and believe me, once that happens, you crave for 5 minutes of peace!.

, you've nearly got a band!