A Perfect Match “ We’re not ever going to believe it, but we’re going to have to act as if we do,” are the words of David Reiss. This M.D. is referring to what recent studies on child development have revealed. The shocking conclusion is that parents appear to have little effect on how their children turn out. Genetic influences are largely responsible and even predict things such as how well a kid will do in school, get along with friends, and whether a kid will become involved in dangerous activities. Although sometimes hard to believe, genes have a great impact on our personalities and how a child turns out. Behavioral geneticists believe that heredity re