5 Stories Where Children Were Born Surprisingly Different from Their Parents
While genetics are a strong indication of the way kids will look once they are born, they are not everything. For example, 2 black parents can give birth to a white baby no matter how small the odds are. Also, a kid can be born with bright blue eyes while neither of their parents has that same characteristic. The bottom line is that anything is possible and science has an explanation for everything.
Bright Side read about some truly spectacular stories and we would like to share them with you.
1. Ginger out of nowhere
When Patience Chando from Zimbabwe and her white German partner welcomed a red-headed, blue-eyed baby, they were very surprised. Patience thought that her baby girl’s skin would darken with time, but that hasn’t happened. The doctors who were responsible for treating the baby for any possible skin conditions have found that she is absolutely healthy. And even though the mother doesn’t have any white heritage in her ancestry, scientists think that the baby simply looks more like her father than her mother.
On another occasion, a mixed-race mom and her white partner gave birth to a red-headed baby boy. The baby has pale white skin, blue eyes, and red hair. The only similarity with his dad is his blue eyes, but other than that even the dad has dark hair. Upon doing some research on their heritage, they found out that they both carry the red hair gene.
2. Skin tone
In 2010, a Nigerian couple welcomed a white child with blonde hair and blue eyes. They were both astonished by this since the baby wasn’t albino. The couple says that they don’t know of any white heritage, but scientists believe that this is probably the case. The baby might have taken his grandmother’s genes, who has a lighter complexion.
Also, in 2008 a mixed-race couple from Germany welcomed twins, where one was black and the other white. This anomaly seems to be a little more common.
3. Eye color
A couple from California has 3 children, from which one has dark brown eyes, one green, and the other one blue. Both of the parents have brown eyes, but the woman’s sister has green eyes which explain the green in her kid’s eyes. However, no one in their immediate circle has blue eyes and scientists have an explanation for that. They say that someone in their heritage, even hundreds of years ago, had blue eyes and the gene finally passed on to the future generation.
4. Height
Austin Challen has 3 kids, with the oldest being Oisín who was already taller than his dad when he was 13. Austin is 5’9 and Oisín is already 6’2 and he might become even taller in the future. While the shorter dad doesn’t feel bad that he is shorter, he does find it a bit weird that he has to bend his son over in order to kiss him on the forehead. Oisín probably got his height from his mom’s side where everyone is tall and he is usually looking up at them.
It is important to mention that while genes are important, they are not the only reason kids get taller than their parents. Nutrition, gender, and hormonal factors play a big part in the growing process. Also, there are other disorders, such as achondroplasia (dwarfism), that can keep someone from becoming taller.
5. Dimples
Dimples are caused either by a double or bifid zygomaticus major muscle (that is located on the cheeks) or by fat, something very prevalent in babies’ cheeks. Christi Zelaya was born with only one dimple on her cheek, while most of her father’s family have one dimple on their chin. Another woman named Alisha Dawn has dimples on both her cheeks, but neither of her parents has that same characteristic.
BONUS
What mothers and fathers are most responsible for.
- Mothers are credited with offering their children their sleeping patterns and habits. A study showed how the duration and quality of sleep, the number of times a child wakes up, and how fast they go to sleep are all affected by their mother. Of course, the sleep environment plays a very important role, but genetics are also a big factor.
- Fathers are credited with influencing their child’s gender based on their families. A study found that if a man has a lot of brothers in his family tree, he will most likely have sons. And men determine the gender of their babies depending on whether their gametes carry the Y or X chromosome. Along with the mother’s X chromosome, they will birth a girl if it also has an X or a boy if it has a Y.
Are you the spitting image of your parents or do you look nothing like them? If you have some similarities, what are they and which one of your parents gifted them to you?
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