Many children don't look like their parents

Dear Abby: "No Laughing Matter" (Feb. 22) wrote about her mother-in-law making snide comments because there is so little resemblance between her son and her grandchild. It's a fact that not all offspring look like their parents.

My husband and I have seven biological children who are now young adults. We marvel at the breadth and depth of our collective gene pool.

I am a petite brown-eyed brunette, and my husband is tall and blond with hazel eyes. None of our kids look alike. One daughter inherited my brown eyes, but her hair is blond. Two kids have my dark hair, but one has blue eyes and the other has green eyes. One son is the spitting image of his dad, while another resembles my father as a child. Our "baby" girl is the tallest female and has a buxom figure she certainly did not inherit from me.

Another thing: Out of all nine of us, our second child is the only family member who cannot curl her tongue. The study of genetics is an amazing thing, especially when we find out what we think we know isn't necessarily so. — They're All Ours in Virginia

Dear All: Thank you for your in-"gene"-ious response. Other readers felt "No Laughing Matter" should ignore her mother-in-law's comments and handle the matter with humor. Read on:

Dear Abby: When my daughter was about 13, my "dear" mother-in-law said she didn't look like her son, also implying that I had been unfaithful. I looked her directly in the eye and replied, "Of course she doesn't look like your son. She resembles MY side of the family." She never commented again. — Not Unfaithful in Florida

Dear Abby: The next time "No Laughing Matter's" mother- in-law remarks how one child bears no resemblance to Dad, she should say, "You know, genetics are fascinating. I've often thought how much this beautiful child resembles you." — Marc in Cleveland Heights

Dear Abby: My oldest brother and I look identical, despite our 10-year age difference. Our middle brother, however, didn't look like either one of us. Our family jokingly referred to him as "the milkman's son" until he hit middle age. At that point in his life, he became the spitting image of our father. "No Laughing Matter" should not take her mother-in-law seriously. — Kathy in Scottsdale, Ariz.