What's In a Marriage?

Genetic traits for children, that's what!

And, whoever thinks to ask those kinds of questions when you are dating?!?!

"Is there any history of diabetes, cancer, arthritis, alcoholism, mental illness, shaky leg syndrome, tintinitis, dry eye syndrome, rough skin, knobby knees, vision problems, white skin that is more likely to burn than tan, or heaven forbid; cervical dystonia?"

Yesterday I had to see a specialist.  The very first thing she said to me, after hello, was, "How long have you had that shaky head?"

"A long time.  My mother had it, my grandmother had it."

"Yes," she countered.  "It's definitely an hereditary issue.  And, nothing to be done about, except do these exercises."

So, have I doomed my daughters to cervical dystonia?  (It apparently hits many more women than men!)

Would I have given birth to the two most wonderful women on the planet if I had known they were likely to get a shaky head?  Well, of course I would have.  It's a silly question, but it does make me wonder if it would good to know these things in advance, or just let them naturally come in the course of time.

"Hey, sweetie," I say to my ten year old daughter.  "Enjoy this time with your head holding still because in time, it's going to shake."

"Hey, Luther," I say to my 25 year old son dating Hidegard, "check out her mother's neck as you are talking to her.  If it is shaking, you have doomed your future daughters to head shaking also."

The truth is there are so many of these illnesses and conditions lying about in the genes, that none of us could ever marry if we looked into our inherited DNA.

So, dear daughters, just know that you might start shaking in the future, so just enjoy your youth now because someday a little Primary kid might just ask you, "Sister Hackworth, why does your head shake so much?"

Ah, darling, it's all in the DNA!