Pages

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Nature vs. Nurture?

This is a question Chris and I have pondered many times since we started the adoption process four years ago.  How much of your child's personality and intelligence is nature, and how much is nurture?  Environment vs. heredity?

Ongoing research will quote you varying percentages, but as usual, I have my own opinion.  Based on an n of 2 (that's a shout out for all you statistic nerds).

I'm saying 10% nature and 90% nurture.

Here are some anectdotal examples from my articulate three-year-old to support this conclusion:

Aria, getting into our car after church on Sunday, shouts, "This car is so hot!  It's freaking me out!"

Aria, trying to get her father's attention at the dinner table last night, "Daddy.  Daddy.  Daddy!  Dadddddyyyy! (Big sigh)  CHRIS!"  That worked.  She got his full attention.

Last week, I told Aria she looked adorable in an outfit she was wearing.  Giving me the Duhh-of-course, look, she responds, "Mommy, I look cute because I am cute!"

And my personal favorite.  This morning, chasing me down (in the bathroom on the potty, no less) to tell me, "Mommy!  Can you do something?  Caroline is being so dramatic!"

You decide.  Where does she get this stuff?  Is this precociousness natural?  Or is it learned?

That's what I thought.

-

No comments:

Post a Comment