Why You Look a Little Like Mom, a Little Like Dad, and a Lot Like… You!

👶 Why Do You Look the Way You Do?

Look at your hands.
Do they look like your mom’s? Your dad’s?

Maybe your hair is curly like your grandmother’s.
Maybe your smile reminds people of your aunt.
But you are also your own person. No one is exactly like you.

Why is that?

The answer lives inside your genes.

🔁 A Quick Reminder: What Are Genes Again?

Let’s not rush.

A gene is a tiny instruction inside your body.
It tells your body how to build something — like your eye color, your skin, or how fast you grow.

Genes live inside something called DNA.
DNA (say: “dee-en-ay”) is like a twisty ladder made of codes.
Lots of genes live on one long piece of DNA.

When you were just a tiny dot (a single cell), you got your genes from:

• Your mom (half of your genes)

• Your dad (the other half)

🧬 What Happens When Mom and Dad’s Genes Mix?

When a baby is made, one special cell from mom and one from dad come together.

Each cell brings:

✅ 23 chromosomes (say: “crow-muh-soams”)
– Chromosomes are like tiny suitcases that carry genes.

When the two cells meet, they make a full set:
👉 23 from mom + 23 from dad = 46 chromosomes (a full set!)

Inside those chromosomes are all the instructions the baby will ever need.

So when your parents’ genes mix, they create a brand-new recipe — one that has never existed before.

🎲 Which Genes Do You Get?

You don’t get all of your mom’s traits or all of your dad’s.

Each parent has two copies of each gene.
They pass only one copy to you.

Let’s say your dad has a gene for dark hair and a gene for light hair.
Your mom has two genes for dark hair.

You might:

• Get dark hair from both → dark hair

• Get dark from one, light from the other → still dark (because some genes are stronger)

The way this works is called inheritance (say: “in-hair-uh-tuns”).

It means the way your traits — like eye color, height, or nose shape — get passed down from your parents.

💪 Some Genes Are Stronger Than Others

Let’s imagine genes like light switches.

Some switches are stronger — when they are present, they turn on the trait fully.

Other switches are weaker — they only show up if there’s no stronger switch in the way.

These are called:

• Dominant genes (say: “DOM-in-unt”) — the stronger ones

• Recessive genes (say: “ree-SESS-iv”) — the softer ones

So if you get:

• One dominant and one recessive gene → the dominant shows

• Two recessive genes → the recessive finally shows

It’s like having a loud singer and a quiet one. You hear the loud one first — unless both are quiet!

👨‍👩‍👧 Why You Are Similar… But Also Different

You share:

• About 50% of your genes with each parent

• About 50% of your genes with your siblings

So you’ll look a bit like your family. But never exactly the same.

Even twins have tiny differences — from how their genes turn on and off.

That’s why:

• You and your sibling might both have brown eyes…

• But one of you is taller

• Or your laugh is different

• Or your skin reacts differently to the sun

All these little things come from how your genes mix, switch, and work.

🧪 What About Traits That Aren’t So Simple?

Not every trait is just one gene.

Some things — like height, weight, or intelligence — come from many genes working together.

Each gene adds a little piece to the final result.

And sometimes, the environment (like food, exercise, or school) also helps shape the outcome.

So:

Genes give the base.
Life adds the layers.

That’s why no one is exactly like anyone else — not even people from the same family.

🎨 What Traits Can You Inherit?

Here are some things genes can help decide:

• Eye color

• Hair color

• Skin color

• Freckles

• Ear shape

• Fingerprint pattern

• Whether you can roll your tongue

• How your voice sounds

• Whether you like the taste of some foods!

But again — even if the genes say one thing, life can change the rest.

For example:

• You might have genes for tallness, but not grow tall if you don’t eat enough food

• You might have strong muscles in your genes, but you still need to move and exercise

Genes are powerful — but they are not the full story.

You are made from a mix of your parents’ genes.

Each time a baby is made, the mix is new.

That’s why:

• You’re part mom

• Part dad

• Part ancient history

• And part someone completely unique: YOU

🧠 Recap!

✅ Genes carry instructions to build your body
✅ You get half of your genes from your mom, half from your dad
✅ Some genes are stronger (dominant), others are softer (recessive)
✅ Traits are passed down through a process called inheritance
✅ You are similar to your family, but also completely unique
✅ Some traits are controlled by many genes
✅ Life and environment also shape who you become