Bug Woman and Her Dad at Her Wedding, 2001
Dear Readers, a big theme in my Open University degree this year is genetics and inheritance, and so that’s made me think about what has been passed on to me by my mother and father, and by their mothers and fathers. It always feels as if the obvious things have come from my Dad, and I’m very grateful for most of them.
We both have ridiculously thick hair. Mine is practically the same colour as my Dad’s hair in the photo, although with the help of a very good hairdresser it’s less salt and pepper and more silver.
And then there are the teeth. Both of us have/had a gap between the front teeth. Although not the most even, prettiest of gnashers, they are strong – I have had only one filling in my life, and the dentist reckons that even that one was unnecessary. My poor Mum had endless gum disease episodes, and ended up with dentures, whilst Dad kept his teeth to the end of his life. So thanks for that, Dad!
Of course, not all my genetic inheritance has been so fortunate, as with anyone. One of my parents carried something called Factor V Leiden – it’s a genetic condition which increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (which, fortunately, I have never had). I am heterozygous for this (which means that I have only one copy of the gene, from one parent), but it does mean that, for instance, if I’d taken HRT I’d have been 15 times more likely to have a DVT than someone without Factor V Leiden. It’s one of those things that probably would never have been picked up if I hadn’t had a genetic screening for another condition.
My bicuspid heart valve is also most likely an inherited condition, though not necessarily from Mum or Dad – this is something that can skip a generation. My grandmother on my mother’s side died of a heart condition at the age of 64, but she also had a weakened heart following a flu epidemic in the 60s, and she never had any kind of scan or investigation. So who knows where my heart problem came from?
But then, there are the things that I got from Mum and Dad that it’s hard to pin down to genes. Mum suffered from depression (and so have I), but then there were lots of environmental factors in her life that I think would have driven most people to despair. Dad ignited a love of nature in me, but was the tinder already there? Mum was one of the most creative people that I’ve ever met, and I love making things too, but is my passion for knitting and cooking a result of the example set, or something innate? When it gets to personality and talent, it’s hard to separate the genes from the environment for sure. While there are some conditions where someone’s genetic inheritance really is destiny, It feels important to acknowledge that the vast majority of the traits that we see in humans and other organisms are the result of a complicated dance between genetic potential and the effect of the environment.
Your interesting observations rekindle the nature vs nurture debate 🙂
I got my height from my Dad, and my (slightly odd) sense of humour. Also Thyroid deficiency – his was finally tested for when all 3or his children were found to have it in our 30s. He got by on self-discipline, determination & God for 40 years!
As for the things I hear myself saying or thinking these days . . . I give thanks for both Dad & Mum
Your very interesting topic not withstanding, the first thing that occurred to me when I opened today’s blog was “I hope she’s kept that wonderful, wonderful dress.” It is ravishing!
I have, thank you Susan!
My mother and father were both keen readers, I certainly follow that path. My mother could name all the birds that came into the garden and most wild flowers too. My father was a trained horticulturalist and a farm manager so both fostered my interest in the environment. Both parents taught me to treat everyone with the same respect whatever their background but also to remember that respect needs to be earned. I used to think I was most like my father but as I have got older I see more and more of my mother in me.