Spin-offspring

Was watching the idiot box the other day -- that would be the television for those born after 1980 -- and the actress Kate Hudson flashed on the screen. It was one of those moments when the thoughts broke out of their prison cell in my brain and tumbled out of my mouth.

"Boy, she looks just like her mom," I said, referring to Goldie Hawn. No one else was in the room, so my observation went unabated.

Then I thought -- well, yeah, who else would she look like?

We do that all the time, you know. Doesn't even have to be anyone famous, either. We seem to be shocked when children have physical traits of one or both of their parents.

"My, you look JUST LIKE your dad!"

"She's a spitting image of her mom!"

"She's got his eyes and her mouth."

Gee, I hope so!

Seems as if we should be more put out if kids DIDN'T look like their folks. That's when the eyebrows should be raised. But you'd be a candidate for Miss Manners' Ten Most Wanted if you said, "My, he looks nothing like either one of you. Don't you find that strange? I think that's weird."

Now, there are certainly occasions where God and his merry men of DNA molecules pull a fast one, and a parenting couple produces a spawn that appears to be the result of a mix-up at the hospital. But those kids, we say nothing about -- at least not publicly. And nor should we.

But we remain fascinated with the natural similarities that occur when a child is born to two consenting adults. It's like we've never seen a kid look like his mom or dad before.


Hudson (left) and Hawn: Why am I so shocked at Kate's likeness to Goldie?
She's her MOTHERRR!

I must admit, though, that sometimes the looks are creepily the same.

I saw Frank Sinatra Jr. on Larry King's show a few years ago, and the man caused me to do a double take. Maybe because, the last time I had seen Frank Jr., he was a much skinnier version than what was on my tube at the time. The pudgy face, the thinning, graying hair...it was eery. Even his voice sounded the same as his dad's.

But again -- why was I so shocked? He's Frank's kid, for gosh sakes! Who did I expect him to morph into, Truman Capote?

What gets me is when TV shows put siblings together that look NOTHING like the other. It took me almost the entire run of Roseanne for me to buy Laurie Metcalf as Roseanne Barr/Arnold/Barr/just Roseanne's sister. Or the kids: Darlene and Becky were sisters?

Random thought: George Goebel should have played Jimmy Hoffa in a movie.

Second random thought: how many of you are too young to remember George Goebel?

I know you've been an offender in this over-the-top reaction to people's kids and their physical similarities to their parents. But that's OK. No harm, really. I just find it amusing.

What would you say to the Octomom?

"Wow -- four of them look JUST LIKE you. Two of them look sort of like you. One kinda has your nose. And that other one -- you sure you had EIGHT kids?"

What would Miss Manners say about THAT?