Bubba, BoyBoy and I had an interesting conversation over dinner a few nights ago. I can't remember how we got on the subject but we began discussing which of BoyBoy's traits he had gotten from me and my side of the family and which he had gotten from Bubba and his side. It was fun to banter back and forth...my eyes (brown), Bubba's lips (full and yummy), neither of our hair color (mine: blonde, Bubba's: dark brown, BoyBoy's: light brown). Then, we started delving a little deeper. Sense of humor: both of us, dry wit: Bubba, stubbornness: both of us, tendency to cry at the drop of a hat: mine. BoyBoy liked very much that he was almost equal parts from both of us. He also liked that there were many traits that he got from both of us. Those are the ones that are strongest in him, like his sense of humor. Also, his stubbornness, his anal retentiveness, his how can I make the world better-ness. He got his overwhelming intelligence from my dad (that one obviously skips a generation!). His ability to see whats wrong with a situation and attempt to make it right he got from Bubba's side. His computer smarts from Bubba and my dad (again, generation skipper). He is sensitive like me, acutely aware when someone is upset and quick to get his feelings hurt. I truly believe that the genetic soup that Bubba and I stirred has set BoyBoy up for a great life. He will have to choose which family traits to work on and nurture and which will need careful managing. It is a scary thing to think that you have passed your bad traits on to your child. You hope that you are able to show him the way that will make him the best person God wants him to be.
Kind of daunting...but we are giving it our best shot.
Posts
2 comments:
I so agree!!! And when you are dealing with adopted kids like I am you focus on environmental tendencies. Too bad they both are screamers like me.
Genetics are really interesting! I think that had I been a smarter person, I might have pursued a career in that field.
What I think is really interesting is how kids who don't live with one of their parents, or in the case of adoption, either of their bio-parents, still have certain personality traits from the "absent" parent.
Post a Comment