Has your brain gotten bigger?

What a silly question to ask.

Sometimes I think that in mothering the brain shrinks. At least my vocabulary has changed a lot. For instance, I was sitting at lunch one day several weeks ago. It was feeding time for all the children. Duane had a chance to come home to join us. As we were eating, I pointed outside and started to say something intelligent and all that came out was, "Huh, ah." I knew in my mind what I needed to say but the words had failed me. Sadly enough, Duane responded, "Yeah, I noticed that the city changed the street light." How odd that he understood what I had wanted to say. So maybe the brain changes in fatherhood too. That gives me more comfort!

Anyhow, I have been reading a book about mothering. The authors quote a journalist that has written an entire book about mothers. In her book she shares that "women who become mothers actually experience a reshaping of the brain in which it becomes a more complex organ-mothers actually get smarter rather than dumber or more spacey!"(Quote from: What Every Mom Needs by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall)

These authors also quote the journalist, "By means of a dynamic combination of love, genes, hormones, and practice, the female brain undergoes concrete and likely long-lasting changes through the process of giving birth and raising children." (The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter by Katherine Ellison.)

WOW!! Evidence that I am not any dumber than I was 7 years ago. I may not talk like I used to but I have a plethora of information stored in my brain that I didn't have back then. Info that will serve me the rest of my life! Songs like "B-I-N-G-O" and "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and which Polly Pockets have the best dresses. Other useful info, how long does it take to reheat homemade baby food? Is that a hunger or tired cry? Ah, advice that might serve another young woman well that I may have a chance to pass along someday.

In any event, I am so thankful that my brain has changed. I know that I am fuller because of my family. I am a different person because of how the past 7 years have changed me. I don't find that I am that much more interesting but hopefully my children see something in me that draws them closer each day. By the way, I think that it is wonderful that Duane's brain has changed too!