I am living proof.
For the last couple of days I’ve been frantically searching for a cheap continuing education program to get into. I need something new to learn about. It’s true, I’m starting to realize how much I don’t know and how much knowledge I’ve lost. For example, I just spelled “frantically” with two i’s. I figure maybe if I take a class in something, I’ll remember which countries border Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ll remember the name of our Supreme Court Chief Justice AND the name of the guy who succeeded Alan Greenspan AND the head of the UN (none of which I can recall right now, unless John Roberts is the Chief Justice). I used to be a well-informed citizen, I swear.
In the last two weeks I’ve forgotten three separate appointments–one for window repair, one for my son’s two-year-old photos and one for…er, I can’t remember. I also have a Tamagotchi, a virtual pet/handheld game, which is verging near death and has been ever since I first turned it on eight days ago (and I wouldn’t have remembered that clearly except for the fact that the Tamagotchi actually tells you the age of the pet). I have had Tamagotchis on and off since they first came out in the mid-1990s, and I’ve always been pretty good at keeping them alive and healthy. This time I haven’t even figured out half the mini-games after a week of trying, and I keep forgetting to take the thing with me when I go out.
My conversation skills are waning, too. I must be the most boring person on the planet these days. The only things I have discussed with other people at length this week: Harry Potter, time outs, potty training, the weather, the movie “Sunshine”, foods babies eat, babysitting, my lack of decorating expertise, pizza, the cuteness of other people’s children, bedtimes and pinatas.
I could feel my brain cells being destroyed, or sucked away, or something, while I was pregnant. And now this is the result. It’s sad, very sad. I wonder what would happen if I took an IQ test now. Or is this all in my head? Am I just constantly distracted by baby stuff, or what? Is it because I’m listening to Radio Disney during the day with my son instead of NPR (probably)?
Aargh. I think I’ll go read the dictionary now.
July 12, 2007 at 4:45 pm
I struggle with new ways to push myself and learn too… and I don’t have kids as a distraction!
One recommendation: join a book group. And NOT a book group with all your friends, or all mothers or all women in their 30s. The key to a good book group is diversity and getting different points of view. I always end up reading a lot of books I never would have picked up and having great discussions. And good wine always helps!
July 13, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Helen
I really think you should not be so hard on yourself. Being a mother is a hard job that requires the patience of a saint. It is probably the least commended job out there -but the most important. What is more important, your the happiness of your family or your knowledge of John Roberts? I think you should embrace the things in your life you have time for and put the other stuff on the back burner until you can come back to it – no point in burning yourself out. Also, the faults you find in yourself are things everyone I know are guilty of. I live in Los Angeles where there are virtually no families or children & people only talk about Harry Potter and America’s Next Top Model. I personally don’t believe in television and so I can proudly say that I don’t get caught up in the nonsense that is nothing but time suckage. SOOO My advice to you is this- go outside, make arts and crafts with your kids, play pretend games and bake apple pie …that will set you ahead of most of the population by about 5 million times! Your kids will adore you, your husband will worship you and you’ll learn more from your own experiences than you would from NPR.