Genetics - brown/blonde babies

[Anonymous]

I have a neighbor who is multiracial but appears black, with quite kinky hair that would 'fro if she let it (her words). Husband is strawberry blonde with those translucent eyebrows/lashes that look like the person has -no- eyebrows.

Kids are tow-headed blonde, Italianish skin. SAHM friend is assumed to be the nanny 100% of the time! during 9-6 hours, she says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have red hair and my parents both have brown. No idea where that came from.

Red hair, like blonde, is recessive. Somewhere in both of your parents' families, there was red hair.

My parents both had red hair and of their seven children, only one (I) had red hair. I married a redhead and we have three redheads - but we could as easily have had none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recessive genetics: Two blue eyed parents can only have blue eyed children. (unless their eyes are not really blue, but are grey --that is a dilution of the brown gene) Green eyes are a mix of brown + blue gene. Dilution gene is an aspect of another gene -- make it lighter, and is recessive.
True blondes, who remain blondes in adulthood without a trip to the hairdresser: If both parents are true blondes, all off spring will be blonde. Blonde + recessive dilution gene = white blond hair.
Blonde as kids, brown as adults have dominant brown gene. It is possible to have a double recessive blonde hair child, but (80% against) unlikely if both parents carry the brown gene. Genetics!

This is oversimplified and kind of incorrect. Eyes are either pigmented (brown) or unpigmented (everything else). There are several genes that determine the exact shade of unpigmented eye. Two blue-eyed parents can have children with hazel/green/grey eyes. The genes that determine eye color are also very susceptible to mutation. Unpigmented eyes were likely a mutation somewhere in human ancestry, or else we would all have brown eyes.

For the record, I have unpigmented eyes and they have changed color over the years from caramel-brown to amber-green. My DC's eyes are blue-grey.

[Anonymous]

Recessive genetics: Two blue eyed parents can only have blue eyed children. (unless their eyes are not really blue, but are grey --that is a dilution of the brown gene) Green eyes are a mix of brown + blue gene. Dilution gene is an aspect of another gene -- make it lighter, and is recessive.
True blondes, who remain blondes in adulthood without a trip to the hairdresser: If both parents are true blondes, all off spring will be blonde. Blonde + recessive dilution gene = white blond hair.
Blonde as kids, brown as adults have dominant brown gene. It is possible to have a double recessive blonde hair child, but (80% against) unlikely if both parents carry the brown gene. Genetics!

So, if I have blue eyes and my DH has green eyes, can our child have brown eyes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Recessive genetics: Two blue eyed parents can only have blue eyed children. (unless their eyes are not really blue, but are grey --that is a dilution of the brown gene) Green eyes are a mix of brown + blue gene. Dilution gene is an aspect of another gene -- make it lighter, and is recessive.
True blondes, who remain blondes in adulthood without a trip to the hairdresser: If both parents are true blondes, all off spring will be blonde. Blonde + recessive dilution gene = white blond hair.
Blonde as kids, brown as adults have dominant brown gene. It is possible to have a double recessive blonde hair child, but (80% against) unlikely if both parents carry the brown gene. Genetics!

So, if I have blue eyes and my DH has green eyes, can our child have brown eyes?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

My husband has hazel, I have green and our two sons have blue and brown. The third is on the way. Any bets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have red hair and my parents both have brown. No idea where that came from.

Red hair, like blonde, is recessive. Somewhere in both of your parents' families, there was red hair.

My parents both had red hair and of their seven children, only one (I) had red hair. I married a redhead and we have three redheads - but we could as easily have had none.

Somewhere. None of my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents have red hair.

Maybe PP was right about the mailman.

[Anonymous]

I find red haired men sexually repulsive. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

I have brown hair and green eyes
Husband has brown hair and brown eyes

DS #1 has blond hair with blue eyes
DS#2 has red hair with grey eyes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have red hair and my parents both have brown. No idea where that came from.

Red hair, like blonde, is recessive. Somewhere in both of your parents' families, there was red hair.

My parents both had red hair and of their seven children, only one (I) had red hair. I married a redhead and we have three redheads - but we could as easily have had none.

Somewhere. None of my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents have red hair.

Maybe PP was right about the mailman.

PP here. It could be generations back. My DH's father was a redhead, but his mother had brown hair, and no one in her family had red - and yet, DH and his sister are redheads.

I think you do need it on both sides of the family, somewhere, in order to produce a redhead (which is why red hair is relatively rare).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find red haired men sexually repulsive. Ugh.

I find you offensive and cruel.

[Anonymous]

I have brown eyes,(mom brown, dad-green) and dh has blue (both parents blue).
Our 4 kids have, brown, blue, blue, lt brown/green(hazel?).
All were born with blue eyes but the 2brown eyed babes had very dark blue, a kind you don't see in adults. The two blue eyes ones had light blue eyes from the get go.
I could tell with the last two, having something to compare, who would stay blue and who would go darker.

[Anonymous]

My neice was born with beautiful red hair, both parents have brown hair but grandma was a fiery redhead!

My dh and I are brunettes but baby#2 had blond hair. Also was born w/blue eyes, which later turned green. I have green eyes.

Baby#1 was born with dark blue eyes that turned brown at a few months old. DH has brown eyes.

Go figure.

[Anonymous]

I have mixed kids (white/african american) and we got the funniest mix:

DS: Mostly straight (at best wavy) brown hair, green eyes (blue as a baby)
DD: Curly brown hair with blonde highlights, one blue eye, one brown eye
DD2: Blondish/reddish hair, blue eyes

Most people in my family are blonde/blue eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recessive genetics: Two blue eyed parents can only have blue eyed children. (unless their eyes are not really blue, but are grey --that is a dilution of the brown gene) Green eyes are a mix of brown + blue gene. Dilution gene is an aspect of another gene -- make it lighter, and is recessive.
True blondes, who remain blondes in adulthood without a trip to the hairdresser: If both parents are true blondes, all off spring will be blonde. Blonde + recessive dilution gene = white blond hair.
Blonde as kids, brown as adults have dominant brown gene. It is possible to have a double recessive blonde hair child, but (80% against) unlikely if both parents carry the brown gene. Genetics!

This is oversimplified and kind of incorrect. Eyes are either pigmented (brown) or unpigmented (everything else). There are several genes that determine the exact shade of unpigmented eye. Two blue-eyed parents can have children with hazel/green/grey eyes. The genes that determine eye color are also very susceptible to mutation. Unpigmented eyes were likely a mutation somewhere in human ancestry, or else we would all have brown eyes.

For the record, I have unpigmented eyes and they have changed color over the years from caramel-brown to amber-green. My DC's eyes are blue-grey.

Really not correct. Is a complex subject and I tried to make it simple. unpigmented=high dilution factor. Not the same as color factor. two different genes.
I have a lot of expereince in color genetics...animals are the same as people in color genetic. true blue eyed parents an only have blue eyed offspring. Your eyes are not unpigmented, they are high dilution factor brown.