Nurture vs Nature

Have you ever heard about nurture vs nature? It is basically learned behaviors and behavior or traits you are born with. The pendulum swings both ways. There are certain things that you are born with. Mental illnesses, tendency to be addicted to alcohol, things you don't choose. I think that those people have to work extra hard to become a positive member of society.  I believe that nurture has a lot to do with how someone acts or behaves. This can be about anything really. If your child is spoiled and throws tantrums until they get their way, this is a learned behavior. Your child wasn't born with a bad case of the gimmies. You bought them a lot of toys. Now Noah is pretty spoiled, but he doesn't have huge tantrums. Does he cry when he doesn't get his way? Absolutely sometimes he does, I let him cry a little and then life moves on.

Hatred and prejudice is also a learned behavior. Children do not see skin color, they see friends. Race doesn't matter to them. There is nothing wrong with being different. It's what makes us uniquely us.  Friends can like different things and still be the same. I know my best friend and I are into different things. We love each other anyways.

A persons environment also has a huge impact on behavior. If you are raised in a home where there are crimes committed and are around criminals you are more likely to repeat those behaviors. I also believe that where you grow up and who your peers are have a part in it too.  If your friends are doing bad things you are more likely to do them too. Maybe to fit in or because you also think it is ok. When you watch your parents do something then it becomes almost acceptable in your mind when you look up to the parent. I also know economical factors play in to behavior. I am not saying that all people that come from low income families will turn to crime. I am saying it is more likely. They are predisposed to it. They can not afford things easily so some tend to turn to crime to get it. Drugs are more available.  When you want something you can not afford, some choose to turn to theft to get it.  I know that more people in prisons come from low income areas.

There are many people who are in low income high crime areas that overcome their environment and become productive member of society like Judge Mathis for example. It isn't a stamp that you are given on your forehead that says no future, you control that your self. You can overcome your challenges with doing the right things.

It is easier to do the right thing in a good environment. 

This is a common theme on Law and Order and Law and Order SVU. They always talk about if someone is born bad. Did they get a bad seed? The Bad Seed is one of my favorite movies. It is about a little girl who murders a bunch of people and the mother wonders if her daughter is the bad seed after finding out information about her past.  The Defense in criminal trials try and use both nature and nurture as a defense depending on the circumstances.

Just because your parent was bad doesn't mean the sins of the father are going to be the sins of the son.  There is no criminal gene or bad seed gene.

Just because you were mistreated as a child or abused doesn't make your crimes a act of nurture. There comes a point when you have to accept responsibility for your actions and overcome whatever happened to you.

TCM 31 days of Oscar GIVEAWAY!

It’s Oscar time. One of my favorite channels, Turner Classic Movies is having 31 days of Oscar. I have shared with you before about how I like to watch old movies like The Bad Seed. There are so many great old movies playing on TCM this month all leading up to The Oscars. I decided this year I am going to have an Oscar party with my family to celebrate. I am so excited to share this event with my son. He probably won’t know what is going on but growing up I loved to watch the Oscars. In fact I used to pretend that I would win an Oscar one day. Just one problem, I had trouble remembering my lines and I would get really nervous and sick. I hope everyone checks out the 31 days of Oscar on TCM and watches some classics with their loved ones. As well as watch The Oscars.



In order to help you enjoy your Oscars Party, I want to offer one lucky reader an Oscar Party Pack from TCM in a giveaway. The Oscar Party pack contains with popcorn, candy, a martini shaker, coasters and more. It contains everything you need to have to party like a movie star.

For more information and to view the schedule please visit Turner Classic Movies


Thank you to Turner Classic Movies for providing the party pack for the giveaway and also sending me one to be able to host my own Oscar Party.

Mandatory entry:

Tell me your favorite old movie that you have seen on TCM or want to see on TCM.

Extra entries:

Subscribe to my blog via email

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Tell me who you would invite to your Oscar Party

This giveaway will end on February 26th 2009 at 11:59 pm EST.
This giveaway is open to US Residents ONLY.

What will you give me for a basket of kisses?

I don’t know if I have told you guys or not but I hate scary movies. My favorite scary movie is not scary at all. However at the time it was a very scary movie. It was made in the 1950’s though. It was about something that no one thought about. I randomly stumbled on this movie at the library when I was with my old best friend. We were bored and were picking out movies to borrow. We always watched weird movies together; like Mary Reilly and we got it just because we could. We watched it and I ended up loving it. I got really excited when I found it on DVD at Borders. I of course had to snag that up since I would watch it every time it was on Turner Movie Classics which was not often.



The movie is called The Bad Seed. It is about a little girl named Rhoda Penmark and when she’s good she is very good and when she is bad she murders. She will kill anyone who stands in her way. I really don’t want to give away any of the movie. I had my cousin Dan watch it and he really likes it. It’s not gruesome at all. Movies back then were not allowed to be. The Motion Picture Production Code was enforced on this movie. It basically means crime cannot pay and you can’t get away with it and you must be punished so they had to change the ending in the movie from the books ending. No one in the 1950’s would ever imagine that a child could be a murderer. That is way it was scary. All of the actors are amazing too.The movie is in black and white and I think that it gives it an eerie effect. It is really believable.

So, be on the lookout for The Bad Seed on TCM. It is usually on at night normally pretty late. Also check your local movie rental place. It is definitely worth it. Rhoda’s manipulative behavior will make the hair on your neck stand up. Let me know what you think or if you have seen it. It one of those rare gems that not too many people have seen.