14th October, 2009 - Nature vs Nurture

I was talking to my mate the advocate about the “nature versus nurture” debate the other night. We both have young kids, and our conversation frequently gets around to parenting, remedies for sleep-deprivation and the price of baby wipes. If you run into us in the pub, we are best avoided.

However, it is all interesting stuff for us. I think we both regard our kids as an interesting experiment, a bit like growing bulbs was back in primary school. The Advocate frightened me a bit though by saying that he’s been reading stuff that suggests that upbringing is far more important that genetics in determining the future happiness and success of your kids.

This is hugely worrying for me. Until now I have been staunchly on the side of genetic determination (ie your kids are likely to reach their potential in spite of environmental factors). The news from the Advocate means I will now need to consider reading to them, and praising their efforts with the stickle bricks.