diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 69a4f50f..2d27bf2f 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package: BGmisc
 Title: An R Package for Extended Behavior Genetics Analysis
-Version: 1.6.0
+Version: 1.6.0.1
 Authors@R: c(
     person("S. Mason", "Garrison", , "garrissm@wfu.edu", role = c("aut", "cre"),
            comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-4804-6003")),
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index babeb73d..2b4a4878 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -17,12 +17,10 @@ export(computeParentAdjacency)
 export(createGenDataFrame)
 export(determineSex)
 export(dropLink)
-export(evenInsert)
 export(fitComponentModel)
 export(getWikiTreeSummary)
 export(identifyComponentModel)
 export(inferRelatedness)
-export(insertEven)
 export(makeInbreeding)
 export(makeTwins)
 export(ped2add)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index ed537985..92292f4a 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # BGmisc NEWS
+# Development version: 1.6.0.9000
 
-# BGmisc 1.6
+# BGmisc 1.6.0.1
+* Add helper functions for checkParents etc
+* fixed incorrect direction so that parents are pointing to children in the graphs
 * Optimize  simulatePedigree and helpers for speed and memory usage
 * Major gains in speed for deeper pedigrees
 * Added more tests for simulatePedigree
diff --git a/R/checkIDs.R b/R/checkIDs.R
index 3b518388..05f104c1 100644
--- a/R/checkIDs.R
+++ b/R/checkIDs.R
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ checkIDs <- function(ped, verbose = FALSE, repair = FALSE) {
     cat("Validation Results:\n")
     message(validation_results)
   }
-  if (repair) {
+  if (repair == TRUE) {
     if (verbose == TRUE) {
       cat("Attempting to repair:\n")
       cat("Step 1: Attempting to repair non-unique IDs...\n")
@@ -56,19 +56,12 @@ checkIDs <- function(ped, verbose = FALSE, repair = FALSE) {
     # if there are non-unique IDs
     if (length(validation_results$non_unique_ids) > 0) {
       # loop through each non-unique ID
-      for (id in validation_results$non_unique_ids) {
-        rows_with_id <- repaired_ped[repaired_ped$ID == id, ]
-        # If all rows with the same ID are truly identical, keep only the first occurrence
-        if (nrow(unique(rows_with_id)) == 1) {
-          # Mark as removed in the changes list
-          changes[[paste0("ID", id)]] <- "Removed duplicates"
-          # Keep only the first row, remove the rest
-          repaired_ped <- repaired_ped[-which(repaired_ped$ID == id)[-1], ] # Remove all but the first occurrence
-        } else {
-          # Mark as kept in the changes list
-          changes[[paste0("ID", id)]] <- "Kept duplicates"
-        }
-      }
+
+      processed <- dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs(ped = repaired_ped,
+        ids = validation_results$non_unique_ids,
+        changes = changes)
+      repaired_ped <- processed$ped
+      changes <- processed$changes
     }
     if (verbose == TRUE) {
       cat("Step 2: No repair for parents who are their children at this time\n")
diff --git a/R/checkParents.R b/R/checkParents.R
index 3a2216d6..2abe3e24 100644
--- a/R/checkParents.R
+++ b/R/checkParents.R
@@ -52,14 +52,14 @@ checkParentIDs <- function(ped, verbose = FALSE, repair = FALSE,
   missing_mothers <- ped$ID[which(!is.na(ped$dadID) & is.na(ped$momID))]
 
   # Update the validation_results list
-  if (length(missing_fathers) > 0) {
-    validation_results$missing_fathers <- missing_fathers
-  }
-  if (length(missing_mothers) > 0) {
-    validation_results$missing_mothers <- missing_mothers
-  }
 
-  validation_results$single_parents <- length(validation_results) > 0
+  validation_results <- addIfAny(validation_results, "missing_fathers", missing_fathers)
+  validation_results <- addIfAny(validation_results, "missing_mothers", missing_mothers)
+
+  validation_results$single_parents <- (length(missing_fathers) + length(missing_mothers)) > 0
+
+
+
 
 
   if (verbose && validation_results$single_parents) cat("Missing single parents found.\n")
@@ -269,11 +269,12 @@ checkParentIDs <- function(ped, verbose = FALSE, repair = FALSE,
   }
 
   # restore orginal names that the user orginally provided
-  names(ped)[names(ped) == "ID"] <- personID
-  names(ped)[names(ped) == "momID"] <- momID
-  names(ped)[names(ped) == "dadID"] <- dadID
-  names(ped)[names(ped) == "famID"] <- famID
-  return(ped)
+  ped <-  restorePedColnames(ped,
+    famID = famID,
+    personID = personID,
+    momID = momID,
+    dadID = dadID)
+
 }
 #' Repair Parent IDs
 #'
diff --git a/R/helpChecks.R b/R/helpChecks.R
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eb233bb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/helpChecks.R
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#' Drop Identical Duplicate IDs from Pedigree Data Frame
+#'
+#' #' This function identifies and removes duplicate entries in a pedigree data frame
+#' based on a list of specified IDs. If multiple rows share the same ID and are
+#' identical, only one instance is retained. The function returns the modified pedigree
+#' data frame along with a log of changes made.
+#' @param ped A data frame representing the pedigree.
+#' @param ids A vector of IDs to check for duplicates in the pedigree.
+#' @param changes An optional list to log changes made during the process.
+dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs <- function(ped, ids, changes = NULL
+) {
+  if (!is.data.frame(ped)) {
+    stop("ped must be a data frame")
+  }
+  if (is.null(changes)) {
+    changes <- list()
+  } else if (!is.list(changes)) {
+    stop("changes must be a list or NULL")
+  }
+
+  out <- ped
+
+  if (!is.null(ids) && length(ids) > 0) {
+    for (id in ids) {
+      rows_with_id <- out[out$ID == id, , drop = FALSE]
+      if (nrow(unique(rows_with_id)) == 1) {
+        changes[[paste0("ID", id)]] <- "Removed duplicates"
+        out <- out[-which(out$ID == id)[-1], , drop = FALSE]
+      } else {
+        changes[[paste0("ID", id)]] <- "Kept duplicates"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  list(ped = out, changes = changes)
+}
+
+#' Helper function to conditionally add elements to a list
+#' @param validation A list to which elements may be added.
+#' @param name A character string representing the name of the element to add.
+#' @param value The value to add to the list if it is not NULL or empty
+#' @return The updated list with the new element added if applicable.
+#' @keywords internal
+addIfAny <- function(validation, name, value) {
+  if (!is.null(value) && length(value) > 0) validation[[name]] <- value
+  validation
+}
diff --git a/R/insertEven.R b/R/helpInsertEven.R
similarity index 98%
rename from R/insertEven.R
rename to R/helpInsertEven.R
index 3c35b915..284e8445 100644
--- a/R/insertEven.R
+++ b/R/helpInsertEven.R
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 #' The function takes two vectors, m and n, and inserts the elements of m evenly into n.
 #' If the length of m is greater than the length of n, the vectors are swapped, and the insertion proceeds.
 #' The resulting vector is a combination of m and n, with the elements of m evenly distributed within n.
-#' @export
 #' @seealso \code{\link{SimPed}} for the main function that uses this supporting function.
 
 insertEven <- function(m, n, verbose = FALSE) {
@@ -55,5 +54,4 @@ insertEven <- function(m, n, verbose = FALSE) {
 }
 
 #' @rdname insertEven
-#' @export
 evenInsert <- insertEven
diff --git a/R/cleanPedigree.R b/R/helpNames.R
similarity index 67%
rename from R/cleanPedigree.R
rename to R/helpNames.R
index 1605bc60..71b0cb69 100644
--- a/R/cleanPedigree.R
+++ b/R/helpNames.R
@@ -41,6 +41,81 @@ standardizeColnames <- function(df, verbose = FALSE) {
 
   return(df)
 }
+#' Restore Original Column Names in a Pedigree Dataframe
+#'
+#' This function restores the original column names of a pedigree dataframe
+#' based on user-specified names. It is useful for reverting standardized column
+#' names back to their original names after processing.
+#' @param ped A pedigree dataframe with standardized column names.
+#' @param famID The original name for the family ID column. Default is "fam
+#' ID".
+#' @param personID The original name for the person ID column. Default is "ID".
+#' @param momID The original name for the mother ID column. Default is "momID".
+#' @param dadID The original name for the father ID column. Default is "dadID".
+#' @param gen The original name for the generation column. Default is "gen".
+#' @param patID The original name for the paternal ID column. Default is "patID".
+#' @param matID The original name for the maternal ID column. Default is "matID".
+#' @param spID The original name for the spouse ID column. Default is "spID".
+#' @param twinID The original name for the twin ID column. Default is "twinID".
+#' @param zygosity The original name for the zygosity column. Default is "zygosity".
+#' @param sex The original name for the sex column. Default is "sex".
+#' @param verbose A logical indicating whether to print progress messages.
+#' @return A pedigree dataframe with restored original column names.
+restorePedColnames <- function(ped,
+                               famID = "famID",
+                               personID = "ID",
+                               momID = "momID",
+                               dadID = "dadID",
+                               gen = "gen",
+                               patID = "patID",
+                               matID = "matID",
+                               spID = "spID",
+                               twinID = "twinID",
+                               zygosity = "zygosity",
+                               sex = "sex",
+                               verbose = FALSE) {
+  if (verbose == TRUE) {
+    message("Restoring original column names...")
+  }
+  if (!inherits(ped, "data.frame")) {
+    stop("ped should be a data.frame or inherit to a data.frame")
+  }
+  if (!is.null(personID) && !is.null(ped$ID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "ID"] <- personID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(momID) && !is.null(ped$momID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "momID"] <- momID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(dadID) && !is.null(ped$dadID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "dadID"] <- dadID
+  }
+
+  if (!is.null(famID) && !is.null(ped$famID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "famID"] <- famID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(gen) && !is.null(ped$gen)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "gen"] <- gen
+  }
+  if (!is.null(patID) && !is.null(ped$patID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "patID"] <- patID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(matID) && !is.null(ped$matID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "matID"] <- matID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(spID) && !is.null(ped$spID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "spID"] <- spID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(twinID) && !is.null(ped$twinID)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "twinID"] <- twinID
+  }
+  if (!is.null(zygosity) && !is.null(ped$zygosity)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "zygosity"] <- zygosity
+  }
+  if (!is.null(sex) && !is.null(ped$sex)) {
+    names(ped)[names(ped) == "sex"] <- sex
+  }
+  ped
+}
 
 
 # Repair Pedigree
diff --git a/R/segmentPedigree.R b/R/segmentPedigree.R
index 2fbf3e44..3179dbfd 100644
--- a/R/segmentPedigree.R
+++ b/R/segmentPedigree.R
@@ -139,12 +139,13 @@ ped2graph <- function(ped,
     )
     edges <- rbind(
       as.matrix(data.frame(
-        personID = as.character(ped[[personID]]),
-        momID = as.character(ped[[momID]])
+        # need to be parent to child for igraph
+        momID = as.character(ped[[momID]]),
+        personID = as.character(ped[[personID]])
       )),
       as.matrix(data.frame(
-        personID = as.character(ped[[personID]]),
-        dadID = as.character(ped[[dadID]])
+        dadID = as.character(ped[[dadID]]),
+        personID = as.character(ped[[personID]])
       ))
     )
   } else if (adjacent == "mothers") {
@@ -154,8 +155,8 @@ ped2graph <- function(ped,
       )
     )
     edges <- as.matrix(data.frame(
-      personID = as.character(ped[[personID]]),
-      momID = as.character(ped[[momID]])
+      momID = as.character(ped[[momID]]),
+      personID = as.character(ped[[personID]])
     ))
   } else if (adjacent == "fathers") {
     nodes <- unique(
@@ -164,8 +165,8 @@ ped2graph <- function(ped,
       )
     )
     edges <- as.matrix(data.frame(
-      personID = as.character(ped[[personID]]),
-      dadID = as.character(ped[[dadID]])
+      dadID = as.character(ped[[dadID]]),
+      personID = as.character(ped[[personID]])
     ))
   }
   edges <- edges[stats::complete.cases(edges), ]
diff --git a/man/addIfAny.Rd b/man/addIfAny.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6d57a15d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/addIfAny.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/helpChecks.R
+\name{addIfAny}
+\alias{addIfAny}
+\title{Helper function to conditionally add elements to a list}
+\usage{
+addIfAny(validation, name, value)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{validation}{A list to which elements may be added.}
+
+\item{name}{A character string representing the name of the element to add.}
+
+\item{value}{The value to add to the list if it is not NULL or empty}
+}
+\value{
+The updated list with the new element added if applicable.
+}
+\description{
+Helper function to conditionally add elements to a list
+}
+\keyword{internal}
diff --git a/man/dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs.Rd b/man/dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b084fe64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/helpChecks.R
+\name{dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs}
+\alias{dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs}
+\title{Drop Identical Duplicate IDs from Pedigree Data Frame}
+\usage{
+dropIdenticalDuplicateIDs(ped, ids, changes = NULL)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{ped}{A data frame representing the pedigree.}
+
+\item{ids}{A vector of IDs to check for duplicates in the pedigree.}
+
+\item{changes}{An optional list to log changes made during the process.}
+}
+\description{
+#' This function identifies and removes duplicate entries in a pedigree data frame
+based on a list of specified IDs. If multiple rows share the same ID and are
+identical, only one instance is retained. The function returns the modified pedigree
+data frame along with a log of changes made.
+}
diff --git a/man/insertEven.Rd b/man/insertEven.Rd
index 7fc08138..324e910e 100644
--- a/man/insertEven.Rd
+++ b/man/insertEven.Rd
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 % Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
-% Please edit documentation in R/insertEven.R
+% Please edit documentation in R/helpInsertEven.R
 \name{insertEven}
 \alias{insertEven}
 \alias{evenInsert}
diff --git a/man/restorePedColnames.Rd b/man/restorePedColnames.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..352f9c2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/restorePedColnames.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/helpNames.R
+\name{restorePedColnames}
+\alias{restorePedColnames}
+\title{Restore Original Column Names in a Pedigree Dataframe}
+\usage{
+restorePedColnames(
+  ped,
+  famID = "famID",
+  personID = "ID",
+  momID = "momID",
+  dadID = "dadID",
+  gen = "gen",
+  patID = "patID",
+  matID = "matID",
+  spID = "spID",
+  twinID = "twinID",
+  zygosity = "zygosity",
+  sex = "sex",
+  verbose = FALSE
+)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{ped}{A pedigree dataframe with standardized column names.}
+
+\item{famID}{The original name for the family ID column. Default is "fam
+ID".}
+
+\item{personID}{The original name for the person ID column. Default is "ID".}
+
+\item{momID}{The original name for the mother ID column. Default is "momID".}
+
+\item{dadID}{The original name for the father ID column. Default is "dadID".}
+
+\item{gen}{The original name for the generation column. Default is "gen".}
+
+\item{patID}{The original name for the paternal ID column. Default is "patID".}
+
+\item{matID}{The original name for the maternal ID column. Default is "matID".}
+
+\item{spID}{The original name for the spouse ID column. Default is "spID".}
+
+\item{twinID}{The original name for the twin ID column. Default is "twinID".}
+
+\item{zygosity}{The original name for the zygosity column. Default is "zygosity".}
+
+\item{sex}{The original name for the sex column. Default is "sex".}
+
+\item{verbose}{A logical indicating whether to print progress messages.}
+}
+\value{
+A pedigree dataframe with restored original column names.
+}
+\description{
+This function restores the original column names of a pedigree dataframe
+based on user-specified names. It is useful for reverting standardized column
+names back to their original names after processing.
+}
diff --git a/man/standardizeColnames.Rd b/man/standardizeColnames.Rd
index 96e3c5d0..46b2e1b4 100644
--- a/man/standardizeColnames.Rd
+++ b/man/standardizeColnames.Rd
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 % Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
-% Please edit documentation in R/cleanPedigree.R
+% Please edit documentation in R/helpNames.R
 \name{standardizeColnames}
 \alias{standardizeColnames}
 \title{Standardize Column Names in a Dataframe (Internal)}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-segmentPedigree.R b/tests/testthat/test-segmentPedigree.R
index bd2ad541..c7224c6d 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-segmentPedigree.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-segmentPedigree.R
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ test_that("ped2graph produces a graph for hazard data with mothers", {
   expect_true(inherits(g, "igraph"))
 })
 
+
+
 test_that("ped2graph produces a graph for hazard data with fathers", {
   expect_silent(data(hazard))
   g <- ped2graph(hazard, adjacent = "fathers")
@@ -57,3 +59,25 @@ test_that("ped2graph produces a graph for inbreeding data", {
   g <- ped2graph(inbreeding)
   expect_true(inherits(g, "igraph"))
 })
+
+# are parents pointing to children?
+test_that("ped2graph produces correct edges for potter data", {
+  expect_silent(data(potter))
+  potter_df <- potter
+  potter_df$ID <- potter$personID
+  g <- ped2graph(potter_df)
+  expect_true(inherits(g, "igraph"))
+  vertices_df <- igraph::V(g)
+  expect_all_true(igraph::as_ids(vertices_df) %in% as.character(potter_df$personID))
+  edges_df <- igraph::E(g)
+  # are all edges from parent to child?
+  expect_all_true(
+    igraph::as_ids(edges_df) %in% paste0(potter_df$dadID, "|", potter_df$personID) |
+      igraph::as_ids(edges_df) %in% paste0(potter_df$momID, "|", potter_df$personID)
+  )
+  # are there any edges from child to parent?
+  expect_all_false(
+    igraph::as_ids(edges_df) %in% paste0(potter_df$personID, "|", potter_df$dadID) |
+      igraph::as_ids(edges_df) %in% paste0(potter_df$personID, "|", potter_df$momID)
+  )
+})