We talk a lot about who our babies look like, their moms or their dads. But how often do we notice grandparents in our kids' faces? Specifically, how much will your baby take after her paternal grandmother? Photographer Ulric Collette explored that question with a photographic mash-up of his daughter and his mother, and you have to admit — their resemblance to each other is uncanny! Here's how Collette explained the inspiration behind this photo to The Huffington Post.
My mother's name is Ginette, she's 62, and my daughter's name is Ismaëlle and she was 12 at the time the picture was taken. I made the photograph with the two of them because last summer I talked with a genetician who had the theory that grandchildren look much more like their paternal grandmother. I wanted to try it out with my family, and the result is pretty amazing!
So now I'm looking at a photo of my son and it's like looking at one of those Escher drawings that changes right before your eyes. The kid really does resemble his paternal grandmother! I never saw it before, except for his nose and the dimple on his left cheek. Maybe I didn't notice it before because he's a boy, but the resemblance is definitely there.
Is it just a trick, the power of suggestion making you see things a different way? Or do people tend to look more like their paternal grandmother? Hard to say. But now I can look at my son's grandmother and kind of, maybe catch a glimpse of what he'll look like as an adult. Why would a paternal grandmother's genes show up more strongly, anyway? And does that mean your baby will grow up to have a similar personality as well?
As much as we want to live in the moment with our kids, I think we can't help wondering who our kids will be when they grow up, or at least what they'll look like. This is especially true while they're still babies, and they're so opaque in many ways. I'm sure there are exceptions, but it's still a cool trick to play — see which grandparent your baby resembles the most.
Who do you think your baby will look like more? Do you think there's anything to this theory?
Image courtesy of Ulric Collette
