Habits and Genes: Can your children inherit your habits?

Philippines
June 30, 2011 5:56am CST
I have two little daughters. The first one is 3 years old and the little one is just 1 year old. It's amazing when I observe how they have similar habits as I and their father do. For example, if you hear my elder daughter talk and sometimes snap at people, you would think that she talks and acts exactly like me. But she looks a lot like her daddy and she sleeps the same way her dad does. She also has the same taste in food as her dad. They both love hotdog, spaghetti and ketchup. My 1 year old, on the other hand, sleeps exactly like I do (on my side). She looks a lot like me but she is too quiet and more focused like her dad. It's just so fun watching our kids grow and see how much alike they are with us, their parents. How about you? Have you noticed the traits that your children have that are similar to your or your better half's traits?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@EdnaReyes (2622)
• Philippines
30 Jun 11
I don't think habits can be inherited but mannerism are said to be inherited. My husband had this mannerism of putting his hands inside his pants while sleeping and wow, my daughter does it,too. I have this mannerism of rubbing my hands when i am upset and under stress, whoa, our daughter does it, too. I think these are also basically in genes so offspring inherit them,too.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
30 Jun 11
Isn't it fun watching your kids when they share the same mannerism as you? They look like little versions of us when they do those things, don't they?
@GemmaR (8517)
1 Jul 11
I think that children can certainly pick up on habits, because they learn by watching what other people around them do, and if their parents are doing particular things then they're bound to pick up little bits and pieces that they do. My cousins act like their father, though, and they don't even live with him! So I think that it might be a little bit to do with genes as well because people can pick things up without actually having to be around that particular person for the whole of their lives; just for a little bit of them.
• Philippines
1 Jul 11
I agree with you, I think it's a little bit of both, genes and observation or picking up on habits. I mean, how can a child pick up on a thing like sleeping position? It must be the genes, right?
@ebuscat (5935)
• Philippines
1 Jul 11
For me yes food also and the way I said and reason.