family resemblance
People often comment about how much my daughters look like me. For a while there I couldn’t really see it. Maybe I needed my eyes checked, because now I agree, it is pretty obvious. But I also think that there is actually quite a bit of their dad in there too. Their colouring is mine, but the shape of their features takes quite a lot from him as well. I’ve been looking at our recent passport photos (yes! we’re about to go on a short overseas family holiday!) and looking at the similarities and differences.
There really is nothing quite like a non-glasses, non-smiling, taken-slightly-from-below-to-emphasis-your-double-chin passport photo to induce a crisis of confidence in your appearance, is there? I’ve rarely seen a worse photo of me. But other than that, I can really see my husband in these photos of my girls. The shape of their faces, especially that little chin. That little nose. The shape of their lips and the determined line of their mouth. The width of their eyes (mine are very narrow). And check them out when compared to their father’s school photo at the age of five:
I think that they look a lot more like their father than we often realise! Or am I deluding myself on that account as well? People often comment on how much my mother and I are alike. But if you actually stop and take a proper look, our features are completely different. Our colouring is different, and so is the size and shape of our eyes, nose and mouth. I am much more like my Dad’s family in looks (particularly the German heritage from a few generations back). However, Mum and I are a similar height and have similar body types – but even more so, we have similar gestures, expressions, and intonation. And therefore we resemble one another. My brother, who looks nothing like me, is actually the one with the most physical resemblance to my mother (who also looks like her father, and so it goes on).
“They” also say that we often pick our life partners based on their similarity in looks to ourselves. I suppose that my husband, with his Dutch heritage, and me with my Scottish/English/German heritage, do have some similarities. Which would explain why our daughters look a bit like both of us. Which also makes sense – after all, genetically they are half from each of us! Ah, genetics, it’s interesting stuff! And as for the personality similarities….that’s a whole other thing to think about!
Trust me when I say your passport photo looks great! Mine makes me look like a demented old woman. It took 3 goes to get one the Post Office ladies would accept. My hair was pushed back off my face, no make-up , no glasses, no smile and so close you can see…..let’s jut say I don’t bring it out to show anyone.
What is worse/funnier is the automatic photo checker at the airport. Put passport in machine – okay. Read sign, put feet on mat, take off glasses, stare ahead. Wait to be told to move on … no wait, that message come up on the screen and you are meant to move on yourself. They have failed to take into account that many people like myself are as blind as bats without their glasses. So there I stood … holding up the queue. They need to change the screen colour from red to green. I would be able to see that. I brought that suggestion to their attention.
Anyway, have a great holiday. May all your airport queues be short.
I’m actually a bit embarrassed to say that I didn’t recognize any of you! I hadn’t looked at who’s blog it was in my reader, read the post, walked away, saw Thronbury and clicked! Of course looking at you all now I can see you all! There’s definitely resemblence of both of you in the girls.
That should say, walked away, came back, saw ‘Thornberry’ then clicked! I haven’t got go go vision between rooms 🙂
They’re not bad passpot photos at all…. you should see mine (but I’m not brave enough to post it!!) and the one on my driver’s licence is absolutely cringe-worthy!!
I think both of your girls look a bit like both of you which, as you say, makes sense!!
Yep – they’re perfect hybrids…. and I’d never seen the resemblance to their Dad before now. It’s definitley in the shape of the features. You rule on the colouring, though! (And I don’t win on EITHER front with my girl…. are you sure she’s mine?)
People will see what they see. For years I’ve been telling my family that my one son looked just like my father and everyone said no he looked like his dad. Well he got married December and my brother was there at the wedding and everyone couldn’t get over how much they looked alike.
The thing with kids is that they are continually morphing as they grow older. I’ve had a few times when I’ve been away or the kids have been off at school and then I’ve seen them and hardly even recognized them and I’m their mother, strange feeling.