Nature vs Nurture

Many years ago, my daughter was born on May 4 by C-section and I had to spend Mother's Day in the hospital. As I held this precious little girl in my arms, I thought she was going to be a replica of me.

Watching her grow, I realized that she wasn't. Her features seemed more like her dad's, her coloring was more like my dad's and her personality seemed more like her dad's too. I must admit that I was a bit surprised.

Off an on, I saw glimpses of me in her - her love for stories, reading and writing ... and her ability to be a spelling ace.

Along came High School - all of a sudden, this shy little girl started imitating movie characters to perfection. She had an uncanny ability to memorize several minutes of dialogue. So, when she chose drama, I was ecstatic because finally there was some inherent talent that she seemed to have inherited from me. She loved it so much, that I encouraged and nurtured this love and I wish her much success in using her natural talents and her winsome personality.

Being a mom has taught me that there are certain things that are natural and certain things that are developed by inculcating an interest. Upon introspection, I have learned that genetics come from both sides and come from a long lineage of traits we love and those we don't want to embrace.

I have also seen first hand that values are caught, not taught. And, like it or not, at some point we do become our mother's daughters.