Mom - yes. Smarter - no

So I get back this morning from taking Chris to work and GG to school and head straight to my blog. You see, that had to be my first stop because today is Tuesday and Tuesday is Post-It Tuesday. It's really fun! Check out SupahMommy's blog for details.

After I get my post-it post published (talk about a tongue twister!!!) and linked up, I head on over to check out what's going on with the blogs I follow. I come across MommyBrain's blog and it got me thinking.

By the way, if you stop by to visit her, send some good vibes for a healthy and happy remainder of her pregnancy.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right...Mommy Brain. If you're a mom than you know that this is a real thing! I turned to Google to try and find an official definition and here's what I came up with.....

"According to Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Katherine Ellison, there is evidence that being a mother actually makes you smarter."
(WTH?!?)

and this from her website about one of her books

"Generations of mothers have been told—and believed—that having a baby means checking their own brains at the delivery room door."
(I agree whole heartedly!)

"'The Mommy Brain' [Ellison's book] usually refers to a head full of feeding times, soccer schedules, and nursery rhymes, at the expense of creative or challenging ideas. But recent scientific research paints a dramatically different and far rosier picture."
(again...WTH?!?)



Firstly, I've never read this book and I'm not doing a promo or giveaway or anything of the sort. And I'm not trying to say this woman is full of crap. She's obviously not because she's written a few books and won some prizes. She must know what she's talking about. I'm just trying to point out that moms, well, at least me, leave their brains at the delivery room door.

Secondly, I want to know how exactly did this investigative journalist get a Pulitzer prize and what did she investigate? I get the fact that as a mom my head is full of the kids' schedules and my never ending to-do list. It is kinda rosy that I can multitask and keep everyone else on track. But debunking the fact that mothers leave their brains at the delivery room door? Crazy!!! If she would have investigated me, I would have thrown all her findings out of whack!

Let me prove why moms I tend to get dumb after the birth of a baby.

And this is just this week!!! It would take too long to tell you all of my blond...um... senior forgetful moments.

If my brain is great at multi-tasking, why did I forget to give my son the pudding he asked for a 1/2 earlier? As I went upstairs to shower I hear a little voice...

"Uh, Mom....you forgot my pudding!"

I always forget to give the kids a drink when they ask, too. In my defense, they tend to ask when I am in the middle of something. To me that sounds like a logical excuse. Maybe I just need to work on my multi-tasking a little more!

And the other day I was tearing the house apart looking for my white bra. Sorry if that's a little TMI! Anyway, I am going through drawers, piles of clean clothes, piles of dirty clothes. Just when I'm ready to give up and try to find something else to wear it hits me.

Dumbass!!!
You already have it on!!!

So yay for my mommy brain to help me remember things like soccer schedules, birthday parties, playdates, and storytimes...But I want back the ability to remember the little things that make the day go oh so much smoother! Hearing "Mom, you forgot...." all day really throws a kink in the schedule!

By the way, did anyone see where I put my shoes? Again?!?

Until next time....


7 comments:

Raising Z and Lil C said...

I would go as far to say that Mommy Brain starts with the fertilization of the egg and sperm! I know that is when my brain went foggy. MY son is lucky if he leaves the house in the morning with breakfast in his belly, clothes that match and his shoes on the right feet (I actually put them on the wrong feet the other day!!). I would love to see this woman's research.

Anonymous said...

I dont know, she could be on to something...my mom was one of the smartest women I have ever met...just saying;)

Shell said...

Each one of my children has caused the death of so many of my brain cells. Really, I used to be an intelligent woman and then I had three kids...

melissa said...

My mommy brain started somewhere in my second trimester and never came back. It was all... heck no I'm not staying around for this. See ya in 20 years.

She must have had the same committee for the pulitzer that Obama had for the Nobel Prize.

Evonne said...

I swear it really does get worse with each kid!

Steven - Women, I mean moms (ha!) are very intelligent, but there are so many times that if I don't write it down or do it right away, it will never get done. I was not like that pre-kids.

MommyBrain said...

I've done some research on the phenomenon of "mommybrain" and am always surprised to find someone putting a positive spin on that idea. It makes us smarter?! Seriously? Then why do I feel like a forgetful dumb arse much of the time?! :)

Of course, in someways - like letting go of things that don't really matter and focusing on the needs of other human beings - perhaps being a mom IS about being smarter? Not necessarily able to remember simple things, but smarter in the big picture? Ya know?

Oh, you've got me thinking on this one ...

Wendy said...

When my sister was pregnant the first time, she stopped at the grocery store on her way home from work one night and stocked up on a good hundred bucks worth of groceries. She diligently paid the cashier, thanked her pleasantly, and made her way out to her car. As she was unlocking the door, she heard someone calling out to her frantically. She turned to see her cashier running after her...with her entire cart of groceries. Mommy brain is about forgetting everything, and it is REAL!!