Taking After Her Parents

How much of what a baby does is learned and how much is genetic? That question has probably been asked by a lot of parents as they observe their child’s behaviour and fret about their future.

Sometimes when I watch Margot I see her do something that reminds me of Jen. Other times I observe behaviour that I might recognize in myself.

A few examples.

Well, Margot, as you might recall from an earlier post, can be quite the fussy eater. Often she will just stop eating something which only moments before she was happily munching. Not because she’s full mind you; as far as I can tell it’s just because she’s bored of particular thing. My parents are probably reading this with a smile on their face because I was a notoriously difficult eater when I was young. To this day I find that I get bored with many foods and prefer small portions of things I like rather than a big portion of something I really love.

Margot also likes to sleep with her feet (and sometimes the rest of her body) sticking out from under her blanket. No matter how cold or how hot those little feet will dig themselves out. And guess what? This behaviour comes straight out of Jen’s book.

Finally, Margot always pushes her feet against the table when she’s eating. This is a Simon-side trait as I have a similar habit of always resting my feet against a table or chair leg. No idea why.

Funny huh? I wonder if this sort of behaviour has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds or even thousands of years?