Our maternal grandmothers are unique in that they have a special connection with us, their grandchildren. They play an important role in our lives, both on an emotional and on a genetic level. Even if you don’t spend much time with your maternal grandmother, the bond between you and her will never fade away. It happens because you inherit her DNA, her temperament, her tastes, and her emotions!
Alejandro Jodorowsky, a Chilean essayist, has written a book called Metagenealogy: Self-DiscoveryThrough Psychomagic and the Family Tree, where he explains the genetic influence of maternal grandmothers on their grandchildren, because genes can skip generations passing from a grandparent directly to the grandchild.
According to Alejandro, the genes that children receive in their mothers’ wombs come directly from their grandmothers. Among all the grandparents and relatives, the maternal grandmother is the one who is the most responsible for gene inheritance
Genes don’t always get passed on directly to the next generation, buy they can skip one. That’s why there is always a possibility that some kids might look like their aunts, uncles, and grandparents more than their own parents.
Children may not look exactly like their grandmother, but there will always be a mark on them: a mole, a smile, their eye color, their way of moving and walking. Also, they sometimes inherit the bone structure, muscles, or even genetic diseases from their grandparents.
We share an average of 25% of our DNA with our grandparents. Scientists from the University of Cambridge have published research about the bond between the maternal grandmother and their grandchildren. According to this research, this connection happens because of the X-chromosome: maternal grandmothers pass 25% of their X-chromosomes to all their grandchildren, which allows them to inherit her genes.
Paternal grandmothers only pass on their X-chromosomes to their granddaughters, but not to their grandsons. So while the paternal grandmother has a 50% X-relatedness to their granddaughters, they are 0% X-related to their grandsons.
Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that grandchildren are not close to their paternal grandparents. The most important thing to remember is to maintain frequent contact and a general presence in a child’s life. This will improve the essential bonds that are necessary to build a strong friendly family, regardless of genes or gender.
According to Jodorowsky, children also inherit the emotional experiences of their maternal grandmothers. The emotions that a grandmother felt when she was pregnant with her daughter can be passed on to her future grandchildren, since this information can be recorded in DNA and remain there even if it skips a generation.
Have you ever noticed a resemblance between you and your maternal grandmother? Or maybe your children look like your mom? Let’s exchange with some photos in the comments section!
