Why men prefer 'photocopy babies'

Men prefer their children to be photocopies of them, says counselling psychologist Mary Gacheru.

“It delights a man when he gets that ‘photocopy child’,” she says. “At the heart of it, that man is not certain whether a child is his or not. Because only a woman knows for sure who the father of her child is. So when he gets a child that looks exactly like him, especially if it’s a boy, then at least he can be sure that it’s his ‘work’.”

“That’s when you hear men demanding DNA. He doesn’t want those sleepless nights wondering if the child he’s raising is his.” 

“For the woman, it can also be an assurance that her man won’t question or mistrust her. If the child looks like its father, there won’t be any issues that crop up later down the line. However, when the marriage is running smoothly with no issues, then it’s not such a big problem.”