Article Summary: The Bad Seed

doption Behavior
Has society ever stopped to think that behavior is caused by the way a child’s parent act, what kind of environment they were born in and the way they were raised growing up? According to Sarah Mae Sincero, “the nature verses nurture debate is one of the oldest debates in the world” (Sincero). She says, that “nature is the coding of genes that make up features like eyes and hair color. Nurture is the way someone acts because of the genetic influences the child has” (Sincero). Sarah makes many good points in her article, but behavior in children is not necessarily because of the genetic influences. Bad behavior can be caused by the environment the child is surrounded by. Think about this, if a child lived in poverty, but later

was adopted by a more stable family, while living with this new family the new parents failed to correct the child’s problems of committing crime or bad behavior so the child does not change. The child is doing what was first nature instead of being nurtured better by the adoptive parents. This child’s behavior could have resulted from being in and out of juvenile detention facilities. Then there is a child from the same living conditions that was adopted by a different stable family. The adoptive parents of this child taught, he/she the right way to act and taught them right from wrong. This child is going on to achieve many great things in their life. A child can behave badly in a home with both parents as well, a child does not misbehave just because they are adopted. If a child is put into a nurturing environment they will thrive, it has nothing to do with genetics. Behavior from a child is caused by the way they were nurtured.
All children go through phases of behaving badly and are constantly making poor choices. That is what humans are known to do. Because of the way a child is parented, it is the way that the parents act that can be the reasoning behind the child’s behavior. New parents want the all-around child with good looks, to be smart and to grow up becoming someone great. They do not want a child that commits crimes or is constantly getting in trouble at school. At the moment of having their first child, the parents are not aware that it is the way they act that will shape their children into the person they will become. Children watch their surroundings and learn from what they see. If they see people in society doing bad acts they will possibly do the same and without their parental figures telling them if this act is right or wrong, they could choose the wrong actions. They will never notice that it has become first nature and before long they will not even notice if it is right or wrong.
According to the Early Growth and Development Study, “genetic influences of the child will evoke specific reactions and interactions from their social environment” (“Early Growth and Development” 412). However, a child’s genetic influences do not have anything to do with their environment. In a child’s environment they are shown many different ethnicities. They see different cultures and the different ways that people in society create lives for themselves. They cannot see the other side of people. They do not know every ones story. Someone’s genetics are what comes natural to them. It is what they see happening in public and how they react to what they see that causes different behaviors. This is why children are so fragile in their young years. They see people acting certain ways and want to be just like them, no matter the outcome. Just as if a child watches their parents behaving a certain way. They must think that if their parents are doing it, it must be okay. It is not okay. Parents need to remember that their actions are seen by their kids. Children will mirror or copy these actions as their own as they think they are okay. It is not genetics that guide this behavior, but the observation of others. The study continues on to say, “child and parenting behaviors will show both change and continuity across development, with child behavioral continuity associated with both environmental and genetic influences” (“Early Growth and Development” 412). A child’s behavior cannot be both environmental and genetic. It is the influence of the environment that causes a child to act the way they do. In many cases when a child in their early teen years is adopted, they have to adapt to the new family rules. This could be difficult for some because of the place they grew up or the way they were taught to act before being adopted. Their biological parents might have been criminals, possibly in and out of prison, and if they were adopted into a stable household the child will have to adjust to the new lifestyle. It is possible for this child to change. He or she just has to make the effort. If the new parents create a stable and comfortable environment the child should learn to adapt to the new family rules. If they do not, it is more that their previous environment has influenced them, not their genetics.
While reading The Bad Seed, by William March, readers can see that the main character, Rhoda, has mental issues (March).

When she does not get what she wants, she kills the people that do not give it to her. She was never taught that people cannot have everything they want in life. This behavior is because of the way she was raised. Rhoda’s parents were what seemed to be normal parents. The only problem being is that her father was gone for periods at a time for his job. This left Rhoda, at times, with only female supervision. Her mother was quite capable of raising Rhoda by herself, but every child needs both parents present to be taught to have respectable behavior. Rhoda was never taught right from wrong. She was a child that got almost everything she asked for but when she did not receive it, she would turn into a child with extremely bad behavior. If her father and mother would have corrected this behavioral issue earlier on maybe Rhoda would have ended up acting differently. Behavior issues have everything to do with the environment that a child grew up in. Genetic influences have nothing to do with a child’s behavior. Readers can take this into recognition here because of the way the parents act. Rhoda’s parents are loving and caring. It was the way that they taught and influenced Rhoda that made her who she is today

(March).
There are many adoption stories in the world, but there is one that many members of society have probably heard of. This story was even made into a movie in 2009, produced by Warner Brothers. The story behind the movie Blind Side is heartwarming. Michael Oher was a homeless black teen that was in and out of school. He struggles in school and this made him want to give up. He grew up in the projects with a mother that was a drug addict and was never around. One night as this character was walking home in the rain, a family was driving home and saw him. They asked him if he wanted a ride, but he refused and kept on walking. Throughout the movie this family eventually takes him in and gives him a safe place to be. Eventually, the Tuohy’s became his legal guardians and taught him what it means to be in a loving family. At first Michael acted out by leaving the family’s house in the middle of the night because he did not fully trust them and still behaved the way he did before being taken in by the family, but he soon learned that the family was not going to shut him out. He began to trust them and began to change his attitude. Because of the family, Michael saw his true potential and goes on to play college football and eventually professional football. Michael and the family’s life were both changed dramatically. Without his new family he would still have been in the bad parts of the city. Without the nurturing of Michael’s new family, he would still be in and out of school and would not be playing football. The way that the Tuohy’s nurtured Michael changed him into the man he is today. Before he was adopted by the loving family, Michael did not know what it meant to have a family that supported him and cared for him. It was because of the nurturing environment that the family had to offer that changed Michael. It was not because of genetics. Every child needs a family that pushes them in the right direction. They need that someone to nurture them and to make them know that they can go on to do great things. Every child deserves that support system and those that have not been have less confident than those that do. A child that is not matured enough from a safe environment is more inclined to do things to get attention, causing bad behavior. Whether that is committing crimes or acting out at school. It is the way that Michael was nurtured in his new environment that changed his behavior.
Adoption behavior is not because of their genetic influences. It is because of their environment and how they learn from the people they see. When a child is born, they have a clean slate. One time that they see something another person does they will do and without the correction from their parents, what they saw will become a habit. This is the same for a child that was adopted. If this child came from an environment that was not nurturing and did not affect the child in a good way they could grow up making poor mistakes. When they are later adopted hopefully the new parents reteach them the right way through a more nurturing environment because this is what will change them into a respectable person. Children thrive from nurturing environments and it is the environments that teach the children to have good or bad behavior. It all depends on their environment.