Mommy Brain

Mommy brain can be tricky. At times, you have the ability to multi-task. I can cook dinner, empty the dishwasher, help with homework and refill a sippy cup all at the same time. On the other hand, I have completely lost the ability to hold intelligent conversations or maintain a train of thought. People are tired of me stopping mid-sentence to ask "I had a point. What was it? " I also have no short term memory left. I walk into a room and forget what I was looking for. I've called my husband only to forget what I was going to ask. He has been known to use this to his advantage. I have been duped into hosting holiday parties for his office, attending faculty dinners, and hosting in-laws on 1 hour notice. His all time best caper was convincing me he had told me he was attending a conference at a posh hotel in Florida while the kids and I survived a 5 day rain storm.

The kids and I were engaging in our favorite pastime- mooching dinner and trashing someone else's house. Note - we did make the feeble empty gesture of offering to clean up. My friend, seeing straight through me and tired of feeding my family, said it was not necessary and told us not to let the door hit us on the way out. Lest you think I'm completely without manners, when I found out her husband had not eaten dinner, I did not steal the leftovers. She HAD made my favorite dinner on the planet so this did show great maturity and restraint on my part. I had invited some other neighbors over to share dessert (see- I have manners). As the 4 adults tried to converse, 7 children were running amok. I realized I could not follow a conversation or contribute in any way. I was completely fried. I had just driven 3.5 hours in the rain through the cornfields. I just sat there, nodded and smiled. When did this happen to me? Is it because I have stayed home for the last 7.5 years? Is it because my days are filled up with mundane errands and household chores? I follow the news. I like to consider myself well-read. But I realized I had nothing of value or interest to contribute, unless complaining and whining count. This may be why I avoid attending work functions with my husband. If I stay home,we save money on babysitting and his co-workers don't realize I have mommy brain and nothing to contribute to any relevant or meaningful conversations. Am I going to suffer from this diminished mental capacity forever??