The Traits I’d Love to Pass On to My Children — and the Ones I Wouldn’t

Honestly, this is one of those questions I’ve never really sat down to think about before. But now that I’m giving it a thought, it’s actually interesting to imagine what it would be like if I could pass on specific traits to my children — or even choose the kind of behavioral and genetic makeup they’d have.

So first, let’s start with the basics: traits are specific features or characteristics that define an individual. They can be physical, like eye colour or height, or behavioural, like temperament and intelligence. Some traits are inherited genetically, meaning they’re passed down from parents to children through DNA, while others can be shaped by the environment or experiences.

Now, if I had the opportunity to pass on certain traits to my children — and maybe even select a few — I believe there are some parts of me I’d proudly hand down.

Let me begin with my eyes. I have dark brown eyes, and over time, I’ve had several people compliment me on how beautiful they are. It’s always been something that made me feel a bit special, and for that reason, I would definitely want to pass that on to my children.

Another physical trait I’m proud of is my hairline. It’s neat, well-shaped, and I honestly think it adds to my appearance. For my male children, especially, I’d love them to inherit that. I know how tough it can be for guys who start to go bald early or who never had a strong hairline in the first place. So if they could get that from me, that’d be great — save them from future hairline struggles!

However, not all traits are ones I’d want to pass on.

First of all, I've realized that I have a stubborn streak that sometimes makes me refuse to listen, even to my own parents—and that has gotten me into trouble quite a few times. It's something that seems to run in the family, especially among us boys. We likely inherited it from our dad. But I don't want to pass this particular behavioural trait on to my children.

For physical trait , one of them is my head size. I’ve been told quite a number of times that I have a big head, and even though I’ve learned to embrace it and laugh it off, it’s not really something I’d want my children to inherit. I actually got it from my dad, and seeing the resemblance kind of confirms where it came from.

Another trait I’d like to improve in the next generation is height. I’m in my early twenties, and I’m on the shorter side. At this point, I know I’m not getting any taller, and that’s fine. I’ve made peace with it. But for my kids, especially my sons, I’d love for them to be tall — maybe they’d make great basketballers or even models. For my daughters, I wouldn’t really mind if they’re short. I think short girls are cute anyway.

Now, speaking of genetic makeup, I’m O positive when it comes to blood group, which I think is great because it’s the universal donor type. That’s a trait I’d love all my children to have, just in case they ever need to donate blood or be in a situation where their blood group becomes very important.

For genotype, I’m AA, and medically, that’s considered a very good and safe genotype. But I’ve observed something strange — despite being AA, I seem to get sick from malaria quite easily. I’ve actually been down with malaria for a few days now, and it hasn’t been a pleasant experience at all. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that AS individuals don’t fall sick as easily, especially from malaria. I don’t fully understand the science behind it, but I’ve seen the pattern enough to make me think about it.

So if I were blessed with four children, I think I’d like for two of them to be AA and the other two to be AS. That way, there’s a balance — total freedom from sickle cell disease and added protection from several diseases like malaria.

Beyond physical and genetic traits, I’d also love to pass on some behavioural traits — things that I believe will help them thrive in society. Traits like kindness, resilience, emotional intelligence, and the ability to treat people with respect, regardless of background or status. I’d want them to be hardworking, curious, and always willing to learn. Most importantly, I’d want them to believe in themselves, even when the world doesn’t.

At the end of the day, I may not have control over everything they inherit — but if I can pass on even a few of these positive traits, I believe my children will grow to be exceptional people who make a meaningful difference in the society.

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