[Paradox]

I've heard this over the years, but it isn't so. All my family is blond (naturally). Both of my brothers married black-eyed and brown-haired wives and both had blond hair and blue-eyed daughters.

My entire family, being hispanic, are dark. Black/Brown hair, dark skin. Two of my sisters married "anglo" men with brown hair.. well lo and behold, each sister has a natural blonde daughter.

However, you CAN have a "blonde" gene and not BE blonde, so it is likely that my family has a blonde gene floating around (I have a great-great grandfather who was from Germany).

[Desdemona]

My entire family, being hispanic, are dark. Black/Brown hair, dark skin. Two of my sisters married "anglo" men with brown hair.. well lo and behold, each sister has a natural blonde daughter.

Both my parents had dark hair - dad's was jet black, mom's REALLY dark brown. Of all the kids in my family (no two of us have the same hair) two of my brothers and I had blonde hair as children and all three of us, now, have naturally dark hair - the youngest and I a mousey brown and the other jet black. Don't count on anyone having blonde hair for an entire lifetime.

[twigs]

An interesting story! I really didn't believe that a gene, especially a blonde one, would carry that far forward. Do you know how many generations a generation can be carried without manifesting itself before it dies out? I've heard 6 generations, but have no idea whether or not that's true.

[OldBlondBabe]

My husband has brown hair and eyes. All three of my kids are blonde. One has brown eyes, the other two have blue eyes.

[sweetliberty]

I had always learned also that the blonde gene was recessive, however, on the rare occasions that blonde has turned up in my family it seems to be particularly tenacious. My dad had black hair as a young man and my mama's was dark brown. I am a redhead and my sister is a brunette. My daughter is a blonde (her dad is not). She married a Mexican with very black hair and dark eyes but their son is blonde with blue eyes. Go figure.

[Pearls Before Swine]

My entire family, being hispanic, are dark. Black/Brown hair, dark skin. Two of my sisters married "anglo" men with brown hair.. well lo and behold, each sister has a natural blonde daughter.

Perhaps a better known example is OJ and Nicole Simpson --didn't their daughter have blond hair?

[RightWhale]

you CAN have a "blonde" gene and not BE blonde

Yes. Although my hair appears dark, I am blonde. Although I am blue-eyed, my eyes actually appear green. I tried to grow a red beard, but could manage only a few red hairs among the blonde and dark. Very common for children to be blonde and blue-eyed, and then darken in a few years as they adapt chameleon-like to their surroundings.