I Spit, Therefore I Am

I'm betting I'm not the first parent who likes to blame her kids' weird quirks on her husband. Take my son's obsession with the vacuum or my daughter's penchant with making sure there's not a wrinkle in her newly-made bed. I'm pretty sure those were directly inherited from him.

And their striking good looks and sparking personalities can be traced right back to me.

Duh.

Granted, we've got no real proof of these brilliant speculations and I imagine that the 23andme genotyping won't completely exonerate my husband. But I will say that understanding my own genetic background can certainly help me better serve my children's needs. Of course, with knowledge comes power, and with too much knowledge can come other issues that we may or may no be prepared to swallow. Perhaps living in the ignorance of what I perceive as my good genes is bliss. I've had a healthy life thus far, thanks to a pretty strong immune system, and I feel as though I've been fortunate to ride the "lucky" end of the body, skin, and hair genes. (Thanks Mom!)

And don't forget brains. I'm terribly smart (according to me of course).

But in this case, I have to believe that knowledge is a good thing. It gives me the power to pass on more than just the history and legacy my husband and I are creating for our kids. And it gives me the opportunity to learn more about myself so I can hopefully be around long enough to tell them in person.

And okay, the idea of being able to "one-up" my husband (who has got way more things hanging over me than I care to admit), doesn't sound too bad either. That is if you consider having wet ear wax, bitter taste perception, and a higher risk for Psoriasis a "one-up."

Let's hear it for people with dry, itchy skin!

Comments

[Veronica]

I really like the idea of being able to blame my hubby when the toddler tantrums (inability to process anger well. He's okay, but I'm sure the rest of his family isn't!). 'She gets this from YOU dear!'

[Damon]

I'm pleased to say that everything quirky came from me, and everything intelligent came from my wife.

[Mary]

My older son looks pretty much like you copied a picture of me when I was 3 and changed the clothes (brown since it was the 70s) and the hair (my mom's ability to cut hair was not the best). He has Tim's ears, eye color, and bits... the rest is pretty much me. Everyone agrees, even Tim's family.

[Naomi]

I don't really care who my kids look like but am peeved by the obsessive love of Star Wars that has already infected my 4 year old. My Hubby is a top tier SW nerd and I should as suspected as much.

[Jennifer]

For me it's about, "Oh, they look just like their daddy!"

Aside from the fact that they just *don't*, they said that about the first one, and then the second one came along and it started all over again. And they look NOTHING ALIKE! It's miraculous, I tell you.
I mean, it's not like my body MANUFACTURED THEM or anything. I gloated for weeks when I found a picture of my brother as a baby that looks just like my youngest. Take THAT, in-laws.

[LiteralDan]

Just give up-- husbands always win, whether arguments or genes.

Once you accept it, will you please tell my wife that?