Genetics Family Trait Coincidence?

Some things have happened recently that have made me think about family.  One thing was a blog our son, Erik, posted this week.  He makes the statement that he takes a simple thing and makes a long story from it.  I tend to also write long blogs.  But his Dad’s mother was a master of expanding the story.  Dolly would ask if we had heard about Jane Doe’s accident.  By the end of the story we knew Jane’s entire family, their jobs, the doctor’s name, and her neighbors’ history too.   But we would usually have to ask what about the accident.

My niece, her family, and the sons’ girlfriends just vacationed at the beach.  The oldest son posted on Facebook that he had a lot of shells to wash and why had he brought so many home.  My niece commented she would be doing a lot of gluing tonight.  This took me back to my childhood.  We would bring back shells from Florida and my Grandmother would clean them and then putty them to all kinds of boxes.  Usually they were cigar boxes. (I have never known where all the cigar boxes came from.  No one in the family smoked cigars.) We would then keep our treasures in them.  Four generations later, shell gluing is still happening.

Other traits in the family.  The men in my husband’s family all pulse a leg while sitting.  While eating they all hook their left arm off the table. All of their voices are alike.  When Marty’s brother, Keith, would call, our son would act as if  he were Marty.  Then he would hand his Dad the phone. It always fooled Keith.  I have talked to Keith thinking it was Marty.  If they can’t tell each other apart on the phone what chance do I  have?   And they all are just as independent as hogs on ice.

My Daddy’s side of the family has been accused of being very tight with money.  We prefer to say careful with money.  We come from a long line of feuding families: the Hatfields and the McCoys, The Halls of Knott County.  We tend to not forgive and forget.  Some of us can be civil with those who annoy us, other act as if the person is not in the same county.

This is just a few things that stand out as family traits, genetics, coincidences.   Look at your family, both sides, several generations.  What do you see the same?