Feb 04 2009
Nature Vs. Nuture…TONIGHT on Pay-Per-View
My son loves pickles. And broccoli.
If there were 2 foods that I could chose to have permanently obliterated in some horrific scientific experiment, it would be pickles and broccoli. Unless of course the accidental outcome of said scientific experiment was to add a nice chocolatey flavor to pickles and broccoli. Then, by all means, give me a second helping.
For the record, I have a strong anti-pickling agenda. The whole concept is just wrong. It had a purpose before the advent of refrigeration, and our ancestors had to get creative preserving their harvest. Now it’s just icky.
Now that is a great Threadless shirt.
My point is not to attack the pickling industry. I find it is very interesting to observe these little nuances as my son develops. Nature vs. nuture has always fascinated me. I feel like we’re conducting our own little social experiment every day in our household.
How much of what our kids become is genetic, and how much of it is formed by environment? I would love to believe that love conquers all, but I also know that is not always the case. My son looks so much like our biological kid, it’s kinda frightening. People comment on that ALL the time…”oh, he looks just like you!” But I’ve also seen pictures of people and their pets who have slowly morphed into mirror images of each other. Obviously we are not genetically related to our dogs (I hope anyway), and yet something in the environment of the household has started turning them into reflections of each other.
I suppose you could argue that we (and I mean people in general), being the megalomaniacs we are, adore ourselves and subconsciously seek to surround ourselves with other living beings that look like little mini-me’s.
Anyway, it’s just really strange to look across the dining room table at my son. Here’s my little mini-me, the apple of my eye, my heart and soul…EATING PICKLES!!!!! It’s definitely a reminder that he’s his own person, and will develop his own tastes and talents. I’ll present him with the tools and the options, and he will find his place.
So yes, I will buy him the pickles and I will stink up my kitchen steaming the broccoli. I won’t judge him because he doesn’t think bread and pasta is divinity here on Earth. We’ll find common ground, and enjoy a bowl of berries together.
