Cat Food Flambe';878041 wrote:I would rather have it that way versus a family we know with four kids spaced four years apart - their oldest just graduated from college in May, they have kids starting college and high school this fall, as well as one starting middle school next year. That's something like 34 years between the birth of their first first and watching the last graduate from college - a long time to have rug rats scampering underfoot.

The term “Irish twins” is used to describe two children born to the same mother within 12 months of each other or born in the same calendar year. Given that it is a somewhat derogatory term, it is generally not used in print or in polite society. As is the case with many terms with derogatory origins, some people use it without thinking about the implications of the deeper meaning. Learning about the roots of these terms and the meaning behind them can help people to decide whether or not they are appropriate for common use.
The roots of the idea behind the term are actually quite old, although no one knows when, exactly, people first began to talk about Irish twins. In both England and the United States, a massive influx of Irish immigration in the 1800s led to a negative connotation with Irish people and society. This often happens when a large immigrant group begins to settle in mass numbers in a new country. The Irish were accused of being backwards and uncultured, and it was assumed that they were uneducated, dirty, and a general pox on society. As a result, the use of the word “Irish” began to be pejorative.

A number of derogatory terms incorporating stereotypes about the Irish began to emerge, including “Irish confetti” for thrown bricks and “Irish kiss” for a slap. Irish twins fits into this vernacular, and is actually insulting on multiple levels.
Firstly, the term pokes fun at the stereotypical fertility of Irish Catholic families, which traditionally do not use birth control. In addition, it implies that the Irish lack the ability to plan ahead or control themselves, having children in quick succession rather than responsibly spacing them. Finally, it suggests that the Irish do not understand the medical definition of twins, which involves two children conceived and born together.

pnhasbeen;878155 wrote:I thought maybe an irish chick got knocked up.

Fab4Runner;878444 wrote:My brother and I are 16 months apart and we also have 2 stepbrothers that are 16 months apart. My brother and one of my stepbrothers graduated high school the same year and my other stepbrother and I graduated the next year.

I also have a younger brother and sister that are actually twins.

No Irish twins in the fam, though.

Curly J;878469 wrote:Pretty wild, I love following you around and commenting on your every post. Will you show me your tits, toots?

Curly J;878469 wrote:Pretty wild. The Wife graduated with her stepsister and I believe her younger sister also graduated with the other stepsister...However they weren't step sisters at the time. It was a few years after they all graduated high school that her Dad got divorced and remarried.

I might have some Irish twins on my Dad's side of the family. He was one of 10 kids. I do know he had some nephews that were older than him.

Fab4Runner;878481 wrote:Yeah my family is crazy. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters (though 2 of my sisters are step on my dads side and they are both in their late 40s so we are not that close). Otherwise all 7 of us on my moms side get along great. We are 31, 27, 27, 26, 26, 21 and 21. Good times!

wes_mantooth;878619 wrote:And don't forget that I want to make a baby with Elaine