Although studies show that both ways can be logical, the logics of one's environment seem to be a better explanation than genes. Yes, a person can be born with the genes to be smart or be athletic, but if that person is not brought up the right way, then his talents will never really show. If someone is brought up smart but is not pushed to excel in school, then that child will become lazy and will not perceive himself to be smart in front of his peers. As hard as it is to not be racist, this is somewhat true. Many asian parents do in fact push their child to excel in school, and will set consequences for failing to reach these goals. As the stereotype says, many asian children excel in school, but that child may not have been born with the gene to be smart. Some American and African American parents also push their child to excced school, but for the most part, it is the asian community.
If a child has parents who are funny, most likely the child will have some sense of humor when he grows up. If a child has parents who drink, smoke, or something else, then unfortuantely that child will have a higher chance of smoking or drinking when he grows up than a child whose parents never did anything like that. Even for religion, if a parent is Buddhist, their child doesn't have to become Buddhist or is born with a "Buddhist" gene, that would be absurd. A child can determine their own religion, whether it is the same as their parents or not.
Ultimately, however, a child decides his own goals to be what he wants, even if he or she was not born with athleticism, since there are many ways that child can train to become one if he or she has the drive to. Children will always carry some genes from their parents that will carry on to the next generation, but it is up to the child to decide if he or she wants to make changes to be what they want to be, and to develop in a way that will determine their future descendants.
