baby genius

i nurse my children for many reasons. one not included would be to boost their eventual i.q. score and aid in their early-acceptance to harvard. i pray my children will have common sense. i'd prefer they be the homeowner who laughs when the bank suggests they can afford a home loan far exceeding their actual means than the financial whiz who thought up the greed-based loan the bank offered. the only super-human intelligence i have want for them to possess comes from God.

faith. hope. humility. compassion. sacrifice. love.

that doesn't mean that if i was assured drinking 2 pints of guava juice during the 17th week of pregnancy a natural born spelling bee champion would sprout that i would not drink the guava. at the most, though, i would hope for a child who knew how to spell every day words like 'tomorrow' vs 'tomarrow' when updating their facebook status.

i want my children to move through this world eating their vegetables and exercising and always looking to learn something new. i want them to be profitable, agile and respected. i want all the best for my children. i do not want for them to be the best. i take my folic acid. i do not drink or smoke. even so. i do not fool myself with studies and reports into thinking my breast-feeding has any real sustaining impact on my children that makes them exceptional when compared to other children.

i often wonder to what end mothers intend with their insistence on plugging their babies in to all these brain-boosting practices. as if it's a shame to be average. as if being able to read before the age of 3 means...? as if God and humanity play a minor role to a mother's control.