As an adolescent, there were countless times that I disagreed with my parents. Ninety-Nine percent of the time I argued with my parents, just for the sake of an argument. I know that after almost every argument I can remember muttering to myself, that I will never treat my kids as my parents did. To fulfill this teenage fantasy I will need to overcome two giant hurdles. First, my nature or genetic makeup comes from my parents. Also, the environment that I’m raised in or nurtured in is solely with my parents. In the following, I will discuss my views on how nature and nurture both contribute to who I am.
My political views are greatly influenced by nurture. In the fourth grade, my mother was participating in a school related election for the President of the United States. My mother distinctly remembers that she did not know any of the candidate’s positions or political views. To find out which candidate my mother would support she turned to her father. Because of my grandfather’s influence, my mother then voted Hubert Humphrey for president. Because of this incident she learned that my grandfather is a split ticket voter, he votes for the best candidate and not for a political party.
Those are the same views that she possess today and attributes them to the nurture of her father. My parents share the same political views and have voted identically since they have been married. I can attribute my split ticket voting to the nurture of my parents. I believe social behaviors to be directly related to nurture. My mother was the middle child out of thirteen children. My mother often felt like “the one there. ” My mother was either too old or too young to for her siblings and often felt excluded or left out. When my mother was in elementary school she tended to shy away from social events and people.
My mother’s feelings of anxiety in social situation can be attributed to the lack of inclusion during her early childhood. Because my mother was often excluded from activities within her family she tended to spend more time with her friends than with her family. This detachment was formed because of the lack of inclusion as a child. I am the middle child out of five boys. My mother often feared that I would have these same feelings of exclusion and loneliness. My mother also did not want me to experience social anxiety as she felt growing up. My mother went to great lengths to include me in my older brother’s activities.
When I was nine years old, my brothers were going to teepee my cousins’ house. My mother sensed my desire to go and encouraged my brothers to drag me along. My mother went to great measures to ensure that I received the attention that she didn’t receive. I did not experience the fear and anxiety of social situations because of the positive social experiences of my childhood. I fell very close to all of my brothers because of the inclusion I received from them. I attribute my social behavior to nurture. Athletic ability is determined by nature. My father was an exceptional athlete. He played many sports and excelled at every one of them.
My father was even given an athletic scholarship to play football on the collegiate level. These abilities did not come from nurture but from his nature. My Father was naturally gifted, in that he can play and excel at any sport that requires eye hand coordination. This gift is a product of nature and came from his father who played collegiate football. I also have four other brothers who are all athletically gifted. I was actively involved in sports since I was young and always excelled at sports. I attribute my athletic ability to nature. Musical talent is determined by nature. My mother has an exceptional voice.
My mother has an innate ability for understanding music. My mother is an exceptional pianist and a very accomplished songwriter. These traits were inherited through her mother who was also very musically talented. I took piano lessons when I was five years old and subsequently quit two months later. Even with my short piano career, I still remember the music theory that I was taught to this day. I can also play the trumpet, harmonica, and the guitar. I can compose music and do so with ease. I’ve never had to put much effort into my musical ability it comes naturally, just as with my mother.
Through these observations I recognize musical talent to be determined by nature. I have described how nature and nurture both contribute to who I am. My political views are greatly influenced by my parents and are, therefore, a product of nurture. Through nurture, my social developments as a child have molded my social behaviors that I have today. By examining my father’s athletic abilities and comparing them with my own, I conclude that athletic ability is a product of nature. Through self examination I have found that musical ability is solely a product of nature.
