Why do the Mannings sound like they have a Different accent ??

Geez, Pete, that's pretty harsh. I think RJ qualified his statements well enough, he's entitled to his opinion. Little thin-skinned?

Back to original topic at hand: I do think that parents accents have a big bearing on the children's speech. When children learn to talk they are mostly hearing people within the family unit speak. And they strive mightily to emulate their parents, who are the 2 most important people in their young lives.

My son just recently moved to the South (South Carolina) for his first post-college job, and he has found it fascinating hearing the differences in accents in his town. Some people have very pronounced accents and others not so much, but both types are native to the same town. It's actually similar here in the Midwest, it's just that the differences are subtle and not so easily noticed.