Recently I spent the day with my brother and sister and their families. My brother and sister and I all have the same parents and grew up in the same house, yet we’re all different! Our DNA would suggest that we’d be more similar than we are, yet we are vastly different. My brother can lose weight quickly with little effort. Grrr!! My sister and I struggle. My brother and I can bulk up with muscle quickly, my sister doesn’t. My sister runs marathons, easily – I have legs of lead! Both my brother and I have bad backs, my sister is totally fine! My sister and I need glasses, my brother does not. I love school and to learn, them – not so much. My sister and I voice our opinion, my brother is more “quiet”. We have different body shapes, sizes, and abilities. YET, we all laugh at the same things that other people don’t get. We all love the beach and Martha’s Vineyard. We all have a sweet tooth and a weakness for ice cream!! We all have a “fight” in us that can be unleashed to protect our family. We all enjoy manual labor and have a strong work ethic. Whatever path we are on, we all are determined to reach our goal. So why are we so different, yet similar?
Brothers and sisters raised in the same home by the same parents, yet are total opposite. Our nurture has been the same yet our nature is based on our individual DNA. We are all different yet raised in the same conditions – although my sister and I will vehemently argue that my brother was favored because he was the only boy! This is an age old question with no right or wrong answer. Neither nature nor nurture “wins” as an explanation for differences between siblings. On the drive home Saturday I was thinking about how we’re all so similar yet so different and wondering why. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer and no guru wisdom spewed here – just pondering out loud. What is your opinion? If you have children, do you think nature or nurture had more to do with their differences? Do you notice obvious differences between them? If you have siblings, do you ever think about the differences and similarities? Why you turned out differently? Why you may look different? Why you may like different foods even if you all grew up eating the same thing? It’s interesting!!! Think about it. 🙂
I’m biased, of course, but I think we’re all beautiful in our own way! We all have different gifts to share with others, which makes us our own persons.
(And yes, I’m the oldest AND the shortest!)