One of the first things people ask about a new baby is, "Who does she look like?" We search those wee faces for familiar features -- Daddy's eyes or Nana's nose or that funny cowlick that all the kids in the family have. But blue eyes and curly hair aren't the only things your kids may inherit from you. They can wind up with your health issues and even your personality.

We all know that certain health conditions can be hereditary. Medical forms ask about family histories of cancer and diabetes in order to help your child's doctor protect her health. Experts now say that it's also possible that certain personality traits -- shyness, comic timing or perfectionism -- are in her DNA.




"Certain psychological and emotional issues can also be a family affair," writes Stacey Colino from Parenting.com. "In particular, there's a strong genetic component to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as to several mood and anxiety disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder."

And you thought it was bad that the baby got your dad's chin.

While physical similarities are the easiest to see in our children, most parents are also aware of more amorphous characteristics, such as hair twirling or nervous blinking. "I have restless feet -- they are always moving around if I am, say, lying down and reading," said Nataly Kogan of Boston, MA. Her daughter, who is four-and-a-half, does the same thing. Kogan said that in her mind, this kind of fidgeting "can't be learned. [It] has got to be something that's genetic." She added that this movement "goes along with our mutual energetic and slightly restless personalities."

But what if your child has inherited your fears and worries? "My third child, Joe, is an exact replica of my husband," said Margaret Renkl from Nashville, TN, and mom of three boys. Meaning, childhood anxiety about everything. "I was exactly like that at Joe's age," said her husband. "If anything, I was worse."

My oldest son has ADHD; he is also very anxious. My husband and I like to joke that we have no idea why he's such a worrier, but we do. We are both prone to anxiety, and we can see ourselves in our son. We are also able to look around our extended family and see traces of ADHD and ADD in more than one relative. Our son, it seems, hit the genetic jackpot and wound up with everyone's issues.

Understanding that his anxiety and distractibility is most likely genetic has made him substantially easier for us to deal with. We're able to put ourselves in his shoes and think about what helps us when we worry; we're also able to remind ourselves that his bouts of hyperfocus and disorganization are not just a ploy to make us crazy.

Do you see your personality in your children?