If your grandparents were involved in your education, your childhood memories are likely to be filled with joy and a sense of security and comfort. Few of us have ever thought that there would be any difference in the way paternal and maternal grandmothers influence their grandchildren.
According to scientists, however, there is something special that we receive from our maternal grandmothers in addition to their love and affection.
We studied some theories about the role of the maternal grandmother in a child’s life and this is what we discovered.
What Do We Share With Our Grandparents?
Genes are basic units of inheritance made up of DNA. According to genetics, grandparents share an average of 25% of their DNA with their grandchildren with the exact percentage depending on the exchange of DNA.
We inherit our genes from our male and female grandparents, of course, but according to scientists, it is the maternal grandmothers who have the greatest degree of influence on the offspring.
There’s Something Special Our Grandmothers Give Us
Maternal grandmothers have a closer connection with their grandchildren, as they give birth to mothers who in turn give birth to their children.
In many families, maternal grandmothers tend to take more responsibility for their children and spend more time with them.
It’s not just the psychological connection that makes the role of maternal grandmothers so important, but some theories suggest that genetically speaking, paternal and maternal grandmothers invest unevenly in their grandchildren.
Scientific Theories Prove That There Is A Strong Genetic Bond Between Maternal Grandmothers And Their Children
One of the theories claims that the difference in the way paternal and maternal grandmothers are connected with grandchildren can be explained by the X chromosome connection.
X chromosomes for granddaughters, but not for grandchildren. This makes paternal grandparents 50% related to X with their granddaughters and 0% related to X with their grandchildren.
Another theory suggests that so-called “parental uncertainty” can greatly influence grandparents’ incentives to care for their grandchildren.
Paternal uncertainty means that male family members are not always sure that they are raising their own children, since they do not give birth themselves.
In the long term, it may decrease the involvement of paternal relatives, including grandparents, in childcare behavior.
At the same time, a woman is always sure that she has given birth to a child, which makes the matrilineal bond the strongest in the family throughout the generations.
Other Theories Suggesting The Unique Role Of The Maternal Grandmother
This theory, developed by Chilean novelist, essayist, and playwright Alejandro Jodorowsky, suggests that of the 4 grandmothers, we are most closely linked to our maternal grandmothers.
According to his theory, our genes can “skip” a generation and be passed down from our grandparents directly to us, which can be proven by the fact that some people look more like their grandparents than their fathers and mothers.
Jodorowsky believes that, in addition to biological material, mothers transmit emotions to their daughters, who then transmit them to their sons.
The theories we just shared with you talk about the special role of the maternal grandmother in the life of a child. However, we are all different and we have different families, with different ties and relationships.
For that, let us be grateful and value the love, care, and wisdom that our grandparents give us, regardless of genetic relationship.
What do you think of these theories? Was there a special connection between you and your grandmother or grandparents? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments!
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