Each new baby is scrutinised and their facial features and other characteristics catalogued against known family members. This is essentially a social process: the new family member is recognised and accepted into the tribe. However, people's genetic inheritance--the information in their DNA--is also a serious matter with the potential to influence in profound ways how they live their lives and make decisions about their futures. It is not just their own DNA that is going to affect them either. DNA technologies including cloning and genetic manipulation have the potential to transform the food they eat, the ways in which they diagnose and treat disease and even what children they have. In this article, the author gives her views on why teachers should be teaching primary school children about DNA and some ideas on how to do it. (Contains 1 figure.)