[Kaye]

A 31 year-old man has recently ambushed my 63-year-old husband, claiming once again that he is his son. This issue, we thought, was resolved in court two decades ago. My husband is the son of a biracial black man (both he and his siblings were able to ‘pass’ in the 1930s) and a dark-skinned mother. He is almost yellow in complexion, with ‘good’ hair, and ranks in the near-genius range. The young man’s mother, who is mentally ill, is of medium complexion, with nappy hair and low intelligence. He is dark skinned, nappy hair, is six inches shorter than both parents and is quite slow intellectually. He has been in trouble with the law since his youth and spent his teenage years in a school for troubled teens. My husband is very well-connected and wealthy, and unfortunately not in good health – he has never been able to conceive children. My question is this: I always believed that a child could not be a darker skin color than his or her darkest parent. Is this an old wives’ tale? Will we have to go through the trouble of genetic testing to remove all doubt?

User Detail :  

Name : Kaye, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, City : Columbus, State : OH, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Renee]

Yes, a child can be darker than both of his or her parents. It happens every day. I myself am of a darker complexion than both my mother and my father. It looks like your husband may have to submit to that blood test after all. Also, complexion and hair texture have nothing to do with intelligence levels as I’m sure you must know. You emphasized the difference between the young man, his mother and your husband in the mental competency department. The boy and his mother may have just been afforded less educational opportunities than your husband. That intellectual difference alone, however, does not rule out paternity. The boy may have just been raised in a totally different environment, hence his lack of intellectual capacity in your eyes.

User Detail :  

Name : Renee, Gender : F, Age : 27, City : Troy, State : MI, Country : United States, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Jacqueline-C21028]

DNA tests are quick and easy – have one done and lay the matter to rest. And just for the record, it is possible for a child to be darker than both parents – and shorter. The genetic make-up of people is very complex. A child can have traits from grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. that are not visible in the child’s parents. A child can be ‘intellectually slower’ than both parents as well. If a person does not grow up in an intellectually stimulating environment, that person may never reach his or her intellectual potential. After all, the kid came from a home with a mentally ill mother and no father.

User Detail :  

Name : Jacqueline-C21028, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 26, City : San Jose, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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