Nature vs. Nurture

As an educator, and now as a parent, I have often thought about the nature vs. nurture debate. I am of the opinion that both play a role in a child's development, but I am unsure how much influence each has. Some "nature" traits are obvious - I look at Jack and he definitely has Troy's skin tone that tans in about 5 minutes; Brett already seems to have my skin tone so he will forever be putting on sunscreen (poor guy!). Other "nature" traits are a little more mysterious, but definitely on the nature side - sometimes when I look at Jack sleeping, I can see something in his face that reminds me of my dad. I can't pinpoint what it is, but it is definitely there. However, there are so many things I see in my kids, especially Jack as he develops more, that I can't figure out if they are traits that he was simply born with that have been handed down through a series of genes, or if I somehow subconsciously pass these traits on to him without even realizing. Here are some of my daily mysteries:

• When Jack is tired, he loves it when I gently stroke his hair when he lays his head on my lap. I remember my mom doing this to me. I can still remember feeling soothed and calmed by this. I don't know if I instinctually did this with my child, or if somewhere in my memories I remembered the feeling and wanted to pass it on to my own child.
• I am a worrier. My mom has told me that her mother was a worrier. She said if my grandma didn't have anything to worry about, she would worry about that! That sounds just like me. I already see a little bit of a worrier emerging in Jack. My mom fell on some ice at Christmas. Jack must have asked about 20 times throughout the day if Gran was going to be ok.
• Troy gives me a hard time that my kids get the "gift of gab" from my side of the family. I admit that the Sinclairs are storytellers. We like to tell every detail of an event, which makes our stories long. But I also think of it as a way we share our history. I know my family better through the stories we have all told. Jack has picked up this trait. He will tell long stories and provide many details. Even Brett will coo and gurgle more than any other baby I have ever seen. We'll take the gift!
• My dad is a gifted writer. Perhaps he missed his calling. All of his children are also writers, to some degree. While these days I am sometimes too tired to put a sentence together, I know the skill and the talent are there. Jack is already showing signs of being a potential writer. He loves to read books. A few weeks ago I asked him if he wanted to make up our own story like one of the books we read. He loved it and wanted to do it over and over!
• My mom has told me that my Grandpa Sinclair was an excellent house painter. I love painting. I was truly disappointed when I was pregnant with Jack that I could not help paint his nursery because I wasn't allowed to paint. Lately, Jack has been asking me to get out the paints because he wants to make something "beautiful."
• I am an organizer. For me, everything has a place. I remember my house being that way when I was growing up, so I know my mom is an organizer, too. Jack definitely has this trait. He knows exactly where all his toys go and will get irritated if they get put away in the wrong spot.