Parents and their children, which are their offspring.[1]
Offspring was the product of biological reproduction. Humans referred to their offspring as children, which depending on their gender, were referred to as either sons or daughters.
Some species offspring were hatched from eggs, such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and fish.
Most mammal species, including humans, produced offspring through sexual reproduction, in which the male inseminated the female, thereby fertilizing the egg cell, leading directly to pregnancy. Mammals generally had live birth while other animal types laid their eggs, keep them warm, and were hatched later.
Mushrooms produced offspring with their spores,[2] and most plant species produced offspring with seeds.
Human children (the young offspring of adults) were unaffected by Doctor Hiram Gulliver's Sonic Microwave Reducer, due to their metabolism.[3]
Hybrid offspring[]
A hybrid was the offspring of two distinct species. Such a being could come into existence by two sexually compatible parents. For example, they must at least shared some physiological similarities for offspring to be produced from such a union. For example, if both sexual partners were humanoid mammals, chances were better for both species to produce offspring, although this wasn't necessarily always the case, as no doubt some species regardless of how similar may have been completely incompatible.
A Tamaranean was capable of being impregnated by a human,[4] and numerous accounts have shown that Olympians were capable of impregnating humans as well. Hercules and Helen of Troy are both half human/half Olympian.
Attributes of offspring and their parents[]
Many species took care of their offspring, even chickens and other birds would take care of their chicks, making sure they were safe while developing. Humans provided clothing for their children, and provided food, drink and shelter. Education was also often provided for children in most human communities.
Most small children loved animals,[5] toys,[6] and candy.[7] Often boys played with action figures, and girls played with dolls. Many small children were also quite mischievous.[8]
Parents protecting their offspring from harm was common as well although there were some people that wished to do them harm, whether by kidnapping or assaulting them or even going as far as sexually abusing or murdering them.[9] This however was not the type of treatment of children that was typical, especially by their own parents, nevertheless, such conduct did exist.
Bullying was another common part of childhood.[10] Such trauma children faced from such things lead some of them to making bad decisions, especially when growing up. A teenage Lex Luthor had lost his hair because of something that Superboy did on an accident, but the trauma lead him to becoming the supervillain he was in his later life.[11]
The teenage years were an increasingly complicated part of a human child's life. Many youths around this age had been known to engage in a variety of inappropriate behavior, which could in part be the fault of the parent for not disciplining their children correctly. Such behavior includes vandalism,[12] bullying (as previously mentioned) joyriding,[13] dangerous group initiations,[14] sex,[15] drag racing,[16] hate crimes,[17] running away from home[18] and pulling dangerous pranks.[19]
Orphans[]
There were many children who were orphaned at an early age, and were taken in by others who raised them.
Robin, the orphaned offspring of the Flying Graysons (John and Mary Grayson).
When Dick Grayson's parents; John and Mary Grayson, were murdered during a trapeze act. Another orphan named Bruce Wayne, who is secretly the famed Caped Crusader known as Batman, adopted the young boy and raised him as his own son. He also trained him, taught him how to be a masked crimefighter like him. He became Robin, the Boy Wonder. The two of them together became the Dynamic Duo.[20]
Kal-El was also raised by foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent[21] They named him Clark, which was Martha's maiden name.[22]
References[]
- ↑ As seen in the Superman episode Little Runaway (1988).
- ↑ As seen in The Menace of the White Dwarf (1973).
- ↑ As seen in Gulliver's Gigantic Goof (1973).
- ↑ As seen in the case of Nightstar.
- ↑ As said by Mr. Warner in The Adoption (1988).
- ↑ As seen in Invasion of the Space Dolls (1983).
- ↑ As seen in The Supermarket (1988).
- ↑ As seen in The Planet-Splitter (1973) and The Adoption (1988).
- ↑ As seen in The All-New Super Friends Hour episode Hitchhike (1977).
- ↑ As seen in Bully for You (1983).
- ↑ As seen in History of Doom (1978).
- ↑ As seen in Vandals (1977).
- ↑ As seen in Joy Ride (1977) and The New Adventures of the Wonder Twins: Joy Ride (2007).
- ↑ As seen in Initiation (1977) and The New Adventures of the Wonder Twins: Initiation (2007).
- ↑ As seen in The New Adventures of the Wonder Twins: Make-Out Mountain (2007).
- ↑ As seen in Drag Race (1977) and The New Adventures of the Wonder Twins: Drag Race (2007).
- ↑ As seen in the episode Prejudice (1977), which depicted hate crimes against black people.
- ↑ As seen in Little Runaway (1988) and The Runaways (1977).
- ↑ As seen in Dangerous Prank (1977).
- ↑ As seen in The Planet-Splitter (1973).
- ↑ As seen in The Planet-Splitter (1973) and Secret Origins of the Superfriends (1978).
- ↑ As seen in The Adoption (1988).