Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Eye and Hair colours

29 replies

SWnewstart · 23/08/2023 22:54

DH and I (both fair haired and blue eyes) produced a blonde, blue eyed daughter. DD is about to marry a dark haired, brown eyes but light skin tone young man. What might any children look like / inherit? I've no idea how genetics work to determine such characteristics.

OP posts:
orchardsquare · 23/08/2023 23:06

It depends whether he has the recessive blue eyed gene or blonde hair gene from either parent. If not, the future children would be all dark haired or all brown eyed. If he does, there is a 50/50 chance of the traits appearing.

Original poster
SWnewstart · 23/08/2023 23:15

Well I've looked up "recessive genes" and don't really understand. Does that refer to the male's parents and their hair / eye colouring which, although they produced dark hair and eyes in their sons may be dormant somewhere back in his father's family, thus fair-haired and blue eyed children is a possibility?

OP posts:
MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear · 23/08/2023 23:19

It’s honestly impossible to say. Real life genetics are more complex than what they teach in school.

I have green eyes. Both my parents have blue eyes. The whole dominant and recessive gene thing would say that is genetically impossible yet here we are 🤷‍♀️

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:20

One of my grandparents had blue eyes and blonde hair, and the other had brown eyes and blond hair.

Out of 4 kids one had blue eyes, one had green eyes, one had hazel eyes and one had brown eyes!

Also, 2 had brown hair, one light blonde, one dark blonde!

Basically, anything's possible!

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:25

SWnewstart · 23/08/2023 23:15

Well I've looked up "recessive genes" and don't really understand. Does that refer to the male's parents and their hair / eye colouring which, although they produced dark hair and eyes in their sons may be dormant somewhere back in his father's family, thus fair-haired and blue eyed children is a possibility?

Everyone has two genes for eye colour - one from each parent. Brown is dominant, so if you get one brown gene, you are likely to have brown eyes.

This means that people with blue eyes have two blue eye genes, and will pass a blue eye gene to their kids.

People with brown eyes could either have two brown eye genes, or one brown eye gene and one blue eye gene.

Not really sure what happens to make green eyes!

isurvived3under2 · 23/08/2023 23:25

I am Italian, dark skin/eyes/hair. DH is English, quite fair and blue eyed.

All 3 kids have blue eyes. One is blond, 2 are dark haired. Skin is somewhere in the middle.

I understand this is only possible as 3 out of 4 of my grandparents had blue eyes. So I carry the recessive gene. Without that, kids would have had dark eyes. I think!

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:26

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:20

One of my grandparents had blue eyes and blonde hair, and the other had brown eyes and blond hair.

Out of 4 kids one had blue eyes, one had green eyes, one had hazel eyes and one had brown eyes!

Also, 2 had brown hair, one light blonde, one dark blonde!

Basically, anything's possible!

Sorry, meant to say second grandparent had brown eyes and brown hair

ChangedName654321 · 23/08/2023 23:27

Both my parents have brown eyes and I've got green eyes

Namechangedforthis25 · 23/08/2023 23:28

Asian married to white man

  • kids: both have caramel skin, one has dark eyes, the other has bright blue eyes!
  • not aware of any blue eyes in my ancestry - but perhaps I have a recessive gene
MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear · 23/08/2023 23:28

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:25

Everyone has two genes for eye colour - one from each parent. Brown is dominant, so if you get one brown gene, you are likely to have brown eyes.

This means that people with blue eyes have two blue eye genes, and will pass a blue eye gene to their kids.

People with brown eyes could either have two brown eye genes, or one brown eye gene and one blue eye gene.

Not really sure what happens to make green eyes!

Show quote history

Apparently green eyes are originally caused by a mutation in the genetic code. No idea how true it is but I am now going to take great pride in being a mutant.

Original poster
SWnewstart · 23/08/2023 23:29

Goodness, that's a huge amount of variations! I guess it's a wait and see scenario but thanks for the responses :-)

OP posts:
orchardsquare · 23/08/2023 23:31

I think green and hazel eyes are a form of brown eyes. My grandma had green eyes, my grandad blue, they had two daughters with brown eyes, one with hazel and one with blue.

boobot1 · 23/08/2023 23:32

MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear · 23/08/2023 23:19

It’s honestly impossible to say. Real life genetics are more complex than what they teach in school.

I have green eyes. Both my parents have blue eyes. The whole dominant and recessive gene thing would say that is genetically impossible yet here we are 🤷‍♀️

I have two dark haired blue eyed parents
As is my sister
Brother dark hair grey eyes
Me blonde hair green eyes

MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear · 23/08/2023 23:32

Forgot to mention that I have naturally blonde hair and my parents both have dark hair. Everyone in my family has dark hair until I came along and then after a whole bunch of younger cousins then started being born blond as well (and keeping said blond hair into adulthood). It think I started a trend 😁

MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear · 23/08/2023 23:33

I think not it think...

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:33

@MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear 😂

I think that's the case with blue eyes too. The natural/original eye colour of humans is brown. I read somewhere that everyone with blue eyes can be traced back to a single common ancestor who had some kind of genetic mutation.

thaegumathteth · 23/08/2023 23:35

Dh has dark hair and eyes. I have dark hair and green eyes.

Ds blonde hair and green eyes
Dd light brown / copper hair and brown eyes

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:37

orchardsquare · 23/08/2023 23:31

I think green and hazel eyes are a form of brown eyes. My grandma had green eyes, my grandad blue, they had two daughters with brown eyes, one with hazel and one with blue.

Yes I imagine that they are a kind of diluted version of brown eyes

bellamountain · 23/08/2023 23:39

You sound a bit like my mother in law who desperately wanted blue eyed grandkids. She was insisting my firstborn's eyes were blue (when they were in fact that weird dark grey some newborns have). I felt very smug when they turned out brown - lovely big brown Disney eyes.

Lillygolightly · 23/08/2023 23:44

Me dark hair and eyes but my mum had blue eyes

DH born blonde but turned to sandy brown with blue eyes, both his parents had blue eyes.

DC1: dark hair and dark eyes
DC2: blonde and golden brown eyes
DC3: dark hair and hazel/green eyes
DC4: sandy hair, hazel/green eyes
DC5: dark hair and pale blue eyes

PickAChew · 23/08/2023 23:53

Mum had mid-light brown hair and has blue eyes flecked with Hazel. dad had dark hair and has blue - grey eyes. My brother and sister both have blue eyes, one ginger and one blond.

Not sure about DH's parents' natural. Colouring.

I take after my dad and have a photo of my gran that could be a picture of me, if I didn't have.my.mum'sth.

DH had ginger hair and has green eyes. His sister is blond.

Both of our boys have blond hair and green-grey eyes.

From what I've read, green eye colour is a modifier to other eye colour. As with our DS's, it often doesn't become apparent until someone is school age.

Even though I don't look much like my mum, Ds2 (before puberty made him more angular) and his cousin were sat either side of her, once, and they all have the exact same eye and brow shape.

MidnightMeltdown · 23/08/2023 23:55

bellamountain · 23/08/2023 23:39

You sound a bit like my mother in law who desperately wanted blue eyed grandkids. She was insisting my firstborn's eyes were blue (when they were in fact that weird dark grey some newborns have). I felt very smug when they turned out brown - lovely big brown Disney eyes.

Ha! Well in some ways, brown eyes are an advantage because the pigment is what provides UV protection. This is why people with blue eyes are more sensitive to bright light, and more likely to suffer eye related diseases.

Original poster
SWnewstart · 23/08/2023 23:59

Again, what a raft of differences - all very interesting!

Sorry Bellamountain, but I'm truly not "desperately wanting blue-eyed grandchildren". Just very curious and never really thought about it all before. The whole genetics thing is fascinating, whilst also appearing totally random from what MNs have said.

OP posts:
Shady23 · 24/08/2023 00:04

Mum - dark brown eyes and hair, very dark olive skin
Dad - red head with blue eyes
Me - red head with green eyes ConfusedGrin

BigButtons · 24/08/2023 00:06

Me. Dark brown hair Hazel green eyes
ex dp- half Asian- black hair hazel eyes
each of us had a a blue eyed and brown eyed parent
dc1 dark hair - born blue eyed- turned hazel age 1
dc2 born blond has blue eyes- now dark hair and blue eyes
dc3 brown hair brown eyes
dc4 brown hair blue eyes
dc5 dark hair dark brown eyes
dc5 born blind hair blue eyes- now dark hair blue eyes.
so three with brown/ hazel and three with blue/