Isn't brown the dominant gene?

sparkymcgeee · July 2013

Both eyes and hair the dominant gene is brown right? I'm remembering that correctly from HS science class right? So if that's the case how did my brown eyed brown haired self make two blue eyed blonde hair babies? I feel cheated. Granted DH is blonde and has blue eyes but I was supposed to have the dominant gene. Now I'll never have a mini me.

Lelo2006 · July 2013

I thought you couldn't tell eye color for a few months?

sparkymcgeee · July 2013

Yeah I was hopeful but they are already changing and lightening up. They aren't that dark grey blue anymore. Just kind of blue.

Lelo2006 · July 2013

Well they're super cute little munchkins either way

valstulas · July 2013

Eye and hair color are determined by a number of genes, so even though brown is, generally speaking, the dominant allele, expression of color is complicated.

I have auburn hair and SO is very red. All of our 4 kids are blonde or dirty blonde. We keep wondering where our red head is! My older boys both have blue eyes. It wasn't until DS3 that I got a LO with my green eyes.

It's still very possible that one or both of your kids will darken up over time. I hope you get your mini-me!

sparkymcgeee · July 2013

My sister is blonde with blue eyes. My daughter is a mini her. But her daughter is brown and brown and looks like me. I think we got each others kids.

holagal · July 2013

Both of my children are blonde. I am blonde and my husband is brown. My understanding is that we had a 50% chance either way (I have blonde alleles and my husband has a blonde and a brown, so since he has a brown that is what is expressed since it is dominant). That might be too simple of an explanation, but is my understanding.

PrimRoseMama · July 2013

Yes. I have no shot at a mini-me! Hapa babies look mostly Asian, but it doesn't bother me. They are so adorable!

SplashingFishy · July 2013

Each parent has two genes - your husband is blond/blue, so he's blond/blond, and blue/blue. You say your sister is also blond/blue, which means each of your parents have to carry a blond and a blue, even if they're both brown/brown.

So, your DH has no choice but to give your kids blond/blue, meaning it's up to what genes you passed on. Sounds like you did what is statistically less possible overall (where both kids are concerned!)

equinus · July 2013

One of your parents must have blue eyes, so you inherited the blue eyed gene as well. Yes brown eyes are dominant if you inherit the brown gene, but you can only pass on either the brown or blue eyed gene. Your DH has two blue eyed genes he can pass on. So you have a 50:50 chance of your kids having brown eyes. Science nerd in me wants to insert a Mendel punnet square here, but that is too advanced for me on the iPad. My daughter got DH's brown eyes, but I think little guy might have my blue eyes, I'm not sure, but they seem lighter blue than DDs ever were.

sparkymcgeee · July 2013

One of your parents must have blue eyes, so you inherited the blue eyed gene as well. Yes brown eyes are dominant if you inherit the brown gene, but you can only pass on either the brown or blue eyed gene. Your DH has two blue eyed genes he can pass on. So you have a 50:50 chance of your kids having brown eyes. Science nerd in me wants to insert a Mendel punnet square here, but that is too advanced for me on the iPad. My daughter got DH's brown eyes, but I think little guy might have my blue eyes, I'm not sure, but they seem lighter blue than DDs ever were.

Actually no. My dad has brown eyes and my mom green. My older brother has green. My sister blue. Myself and younger brother brown. I honestly don't know wher my sister got her blue eyes because my grandparents don't have blue either. Green and brown on both sides.

Mrs JillB · July 2013

Both my husband and I have brown hair. Ds1 is a redhead. Genes are funny things!

sonflower1427 · July 2013

This has probably already been covered, but basically if you have a dominant, non-dominant genotype (Bb--B is brown and b is blue) and husband has non-dominant, non-dominant genotype (bb--b for blue and b for blue) then that is how you wind up with blue eyed children. But it's actually not as simple as those basic Punnett squares from Biology. There is more than one gene responsible for eye and hair color. Also, that blond hair can turn darker as they age (mine and my husband's both did. He has very dark brown hair, but his hair was white blond at age 2.) Isaac's eyes may change yet.

sonflower1427 · July 2013

Meimsx said:

One of your parents must have blue eyes, so you inherited the blue eyed gene as well. Yes brown eyes are dominant if you inherit the brown gene, but you can only pass on either the brown or blue eyed gene. Your DH has two blue eyed genes he can pass on. So you have a 50:50 chance of your kids having brown eyes. Science nerd in me wants to insert a Mendel punnet square here, but that is too advanced for me on the iPad. My daughter got DH's brown eyes, but I think little guy might have my blue eyes, I'm not sure, but they seem lighter blue than DDs ever were.
Actually no. My dad has brown eyes and my mom green. My older brother has green. My sister blue. Myself and younger brother brown. I honestly don't know wher my sister got her blue eyes because my grandparents don't have blue either. Green and brown on both sides.

With your sister having the blue eyes, there is definitely a recessive trait somewhere in your family. You might have to go back several generations, but there would have been a blue eyed somebody in your family. It sounds like both of your parents are heterozygous for eye color (meaning Bb) and that's how you with brown eyes can have children with blue eyes.

equinus · July 2013

Meimsx said:

One of your parents must have blue eyes, so you inherited the blue eyed gene as well. Yes brown eyes are dominant if you inherit the brown gene, but you can only pass on either the brown or blue eyed gene. Your DH has two blue eyed genes he can pass on. So you have a 50:50 chance of your kids having brown eyes. Science nerd in me wants to insert a Mendel punnet square here, but that is too advanced for me on the iPad. My daughter got DH's brown eyes, but I think little guy might have my blue eyes, I'm not sure, but they seem lighter blue than DDs ever were.
Actually no. My dad has brown eyes and my mom green. My older brother has green. My sister blue. Myself and younger brother brown. I honestly don't know wher my sister got her blue eyes because my grandparents don't have blue either. Green and brown on both sides.

Brown eyes is definitely the dominant gene, but it gets more complicated when you are dealing with blue and green, but either way those are recessive. Hair color is more complicated too. Isaac's eyes may change yet, maybe they will be more green like his grandparents? Sorry about my crappy formatting, I think the new format ate my paragraphs.

liannemarie82 · July 2013

DH and I are both Brown hair Brown eyed, but DS is blonde with blue eye. The reason this is possible is that my dad had blue eyes and his mom had blue eyes, only blonde is my dad as well. So I have my cute little 2y/o with blue eyes and blonde hair with a Mediterranean complexion running around with my other 2 brown eyed children. DD is only just over a week old and I can't tell yet, but looks like she is going to have the brown eyes and she has dark hair.

emmanemm · July 2013

Dd's eyes are blue right now, they can still change. But both DH and I have brown eyes. My mother and his father, however have blue eyes. We always talk about how surprised we would be if dd kept her blue eyes.

Pink724 · July 2013

maryannespier said:

This just gave me a terrible flashback to AP Biology homework.

This is what I was thinking. And why I prefer calculus.

arlingirl · July 2013

valstulas said:

Eye and hair color are determined by a number of genes, so even though brown is, generally speaking, the dominant allele, expression of color is complicated. I have auburn hair and SO is very red. All of our 4 kids are blonde or dirty blonde. We keep wondering where our red head is! My older boys both have blue eyes. It wasn't until DS3 that I got a LO with my green eyes. It's still very possible that one or both of your kids will darken up over time. I hope you get your mini-me!

I swore I read that two redheads will 100% produce redheaded offspring. I was curious because of my own situation. It's funny because some people want red hair and growing up with it I was pretty vehemently opposed to LO having red hair. I'm sure I'd be ok no matter how he turned out, but he def favors daddy which works for me.

Carrie3102 · July 2013

Brown is dominant as others have said. I've often wondered why DD ended up with my fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, DH has hazel eyes, dark hair, and a nice complexion. His hair is curly though and DDs is curly. Mine is crazy straight.

I think Parker will have DH's hair color and eye color, his skin tone is much 'darker' than mine or Josephine's. His eyes are currently a very deep dark blue, which leads me to believe they will not remain blue.

valstulas · July 2013

arlingirl said:

valstulas said:

Eye and hair color are determined by a number of genes, so even though brown is, generally speaking, the dominant allele, expression of color is complicated.

I have auburn hair and SO is very red. All of our 4 kids are blonde or dirty blonde. We keep wondering where our red head is! My older boys both have blue eyes. It wasn't until DS3 that I got a LO with my green eyes.

It's still very possible that one or both of your kids will darken up over time. I hope you get your mini-me!

I swore I read that two redheads will 100% produce redheaded offspring.
I was curious because of my own situation. It's funny because some people want red hair and growing up with it I was pretty vehemently opposed to LO having red hair. I'm sure I'd be ok no matter how he turned out, but he def favors daddy which works for me.

My hair is not super red. Really more light brown with blonde and auburn highlights. Maybe that's the reason for all the blonde kids

SO used to hate his red hair, but now would really like a red-headed kid. I think part of it is bc our children tend to favor me so he wants one of them to at least get his coloring.

[Deleted User] · July 2013

My parents both have brown hair. My mom has brown eyes. 3 out of 4 of us have blue eyes and 2 of us have blonde hair. I was convinced I was adopted as a kid!

RumbleLina · July 2013

I am the only person within my nuclear and extended family who has green eyes. My mother, father, brother all have blue eyes and my extended family have mainly blue with some brown. According to my mother my eyes did not turn green until I was in toddlerhood though. So, not surprisingly I made a blue eyed baby and most likely DD will be blue as well.

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Isn't brown the dominant gene?

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