Skip to main content

Left your brains in the delivery room?

I know that without the stimulus of work (and indeed conversation without words more than 1 syllable), there is bound to be some brain atrophy. Perhaps worrying about it will provide the stimulus I need to keep the old brain ticking...but I don't think it's working. I recently asked a friend of mind if she felt she was getting more stupid staying at home. While she wouldn't admit to that, she did say that she definitely felt "more sluggish". She tried to do puzzles for example, to keep her brain nimble. I don't think that'll work for me though, I need something more industrial-strength for the mush I think my brain is becoming, and I don't think 1st grade homework counts. But, since I haven't actually ever seen anybody with their brain leaking out their ears, I am hopeful.

My friend stayed home with her kids for 5 1/2 years before venturing back into the working world part-time. When I asked her if it was difficult, she said at first it was tough but then you get back into it. Ok, that's comforting, there may? be hope for me if I want/need to step back into the working world. I just need to find somebody willing to hire me. I can always stress the transferable skills I am acquiring - dealing with people who can't/won't follow instructions, can't/won't tell time, etc.

Aahh the joys of motherhood - not only do I lose my figure, I lose my brain too! Lest any stay-at-home parent jump all over me for that, I'll qualify by saying that there may be some who are totally unaffected by this whole process except in a positive way. Me on the other hand, I need to get cracking on those Sudoku puzzles, learn a new language and think about wonderfully erudite things to write about!

Comments

Greta said…
Interesting post. While I can say that I was not as challenged intellectually since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I actually drew on my knowledge and skills at times to help my kids and/or their school. Parents volunteer on a weekly basis to come into my kids' class to do some project/topic (for curriculum enrichment). Last year, we went in to talk about boolean logic, and when I showed the class how to do binary arithmetic, I was happy and a bit surprised the first graders got it. Next year, I am planning to talk about design in everyday things, drawing upon my graduate studies, but I am simplifying the level of my presentation to suit 2nd graders. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
Austin Trini said…
That's great you were able to explain a complex topic to 1st graders! You know what they say..if you can't explain your subject to a 6-year old, you don't really know it.

Great opportunity for the kids (and you) to learn something and for the kids to see Mommy in a somewhat different light ;)

Popular posts from this blog

What is your 'bread & butter' conversation?

I am anxious to get back to the playgroups with my Moms group, and talk with some of the other moms because I want to know what they talk to their husbands about at the end of the day. If I were to truly tell my husband what goes on with my day? Well, the conversation would be inane and irrelevant. Gunnar: "How was your day honey?" Big smile. Me: "You know the usual. Lucas got up late this morning and was crabby because he didn't have enough time to play before breakfast and Liam pulled off my tiny earring, you know, the one I was so excited about getting because I thought he wouldn't notice it, and I could wear earrings again? Anyways, he pulled it off, and I grabbed it from him and set it down so I could deal with him appropriately, and I forgot about it, but when I went back to look for it I couldn't find it. It might have gotten wiped off the table when I was cleaning, so I spent part of the day sifting through the garbage looking for it, then I looked ...

Week 4 - Part 1, Fredericksburg

And here are my pictures from Fredericksburg! A bit different than you may have expected. We walked around the National Museum of the Pacific, but hardly had the chance to look in much detail (antsy 3-year old took care of that).   My husband's conclusion was while there may be some things that are German (like on the menu), some are definitely not.  But perhaps they were when the Fredericksburg immigrants moved there?  Immigrants do cling to what they know and bring those with them, while their home country evolves. Anyways, we had fun walking around and relaxing.  My dad didn't get a chance to do too much (G and I took the time to run away and put my cousin in charge of the boys and my dad).  So we had a break.  We had plans to do more sight-seeing on our way back, but we (me and G) were too tired to try. Tuesday 28th June : Cycle 2.  After checking my blood counts, I was able to get cycle 2 - Yaay!  My appointment was 9:30 am, and I ...

Summer vacation so far

2-yr old: "Waaah..!" wail, bawl. 7-yr old: "I'm sorry..I didn't mean to hurt you." 5 minutes later. 2-yr old: "Waaah..!" wail, bawl. 7-yr old: "I'm sorry..are you ok?" Loop again 10 more times today. The boys walking hand-in-hand up the stairs. 2-yr old: "My water." 7-yr old: "No, my water." 2-yr old: "No! Mine!" 7-yr old: "No! My water!" And so on for another 5 minutes. 7-yr old: "Get off me! Get off me!" Various noises, "....Ow, Ow, Ow!" 7-yr old: "Waaah..!" wail, bawl. Mama needs to sign up big brother for more full-time summer camps. Hosted Mom's club ice-cream bash at our house. In the backyard. 28 moms with at least 1 child each. You do the Math. Yikes! Papa getting a big squeeze hug from 2-year old. 7-yr old getting a big, smoochy kiss goodnight from baby brother. Splashing in the pool with the boys. Priceless.