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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!
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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.
1 July 2009 at 08:08
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 ;)
1 July 2009 at 14:09
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