Mommy Brain

The following article was written for East End MOPS September newsletter.

To be a mother is to be forgetful.

And forgetfulness is the defining trait of a condition known as Mommy Brain. There is no cure, though frequent napping is a commonly prescribed treatment. Symptoms vary wildly, but if the following scenarios sound at all familiar, you can consider yourself afflicted.

· You habitually misplace your car keys, cell phone, and purse, though you are able to locate a pacifier at any given moment.

· You have resorted to using your husband’s deodorant because you can’t seem to remember to pick up a new stick for yourself. Old Spice anyone?

· You find the Listerine put away in the pantry and the Quaker Oats placed in the medicine cabinet.

· You have difficulty thinking of words beyond your three year old’s vocabulary.

· At four o’clock in the afternoon, you have the disturbing realization that you have somehow forgotten to brush your teeth.

· You stockpile baby wipes and diapers but find only one roll of toilet paper in the house.

· You leave your home wearing two different shoes and are not aware of your mistake until an old friend helpfully brings it to your attention...when you run into her at the grocery store.

· You go to pick up takeout for dinner and set the sacks on top of your car while you fumble with car seat buckles. You wonder what happened when you get home and can’t find the food.

Finally, if you are certain that you have lost your mind and you desperately hope that these “lapses” have gone unnoticed by anyone besides your two year old, please know that you are most definitely suffering a terrible case of Mommy Brain.

And everyone EXCEPT your two year old has noticed.

But take comfort in the knowledge that you are not alone. For another mother will think nothing of your unfortunate tendency to space out in mid conversation.

After all, she too has a few granola bars in her medicine cabinet.