A good friend of mine has found herself between jobs – and home with her 12 month old son- for the last few weeks. Although she is enjoying being with her son more, she told me that she is looking for a part-time job so that she can have some adult conversation. She related this to me very succinctly: “I feel like my brain is turning to mush!” She said that watching NOGGIN and playing with baby toys all day isn’t exactly enough stimulation for her brain.
As I listened to her tell me the reasons she wished to work at least part-time, I couldn’t help but think about the mushy-ness of my own brain. I mean, I’ve been home for 5+ years. If my friend’s brain has turned to mush in only 2 weeks, my brain must be long gone!
I don’t mean to single out my friend – I’ve heard this from other moms, too. For some reason, staying at home, especially with a baby, doesn’t seem to be stimulating enough.
I remember those first months with Abigail. It did seem that each day was strangely similar. Naps, feeding sessions, diaper changes and dangling the same toys in front of her face seemed to just go round and round as the days blurred together.
However, as my children have grown, I’ve found several avenues for conversation that have filled that void that some would say is only fulfilled in a work situation.
1. God. What adult in a work situation could engage me in a more mentally stimulating conversation than one I can have with God? The beautiful back-and-forth of prayer and then reading God’s Word gives me more food for thought than I will ever have the time to process.
2. My husband. Being at home forces encourages me to rely on my husband more. I do look to my husband to fulfill much of my “adult conversation” quota for the day. Most evenings, we spend time together after the children have gone to bed just talking. We discuss every topic under the sun – from the progress I’ve made with the children during the day, to his work struggles, to sports (*ack!*), to God’s Word, to politics, to current events. I love this special time and look forward to it each day.
3. Letter-writing. Because I am at home and have some free time *once in a while*, I’m able to sit down and write letters. (You know, those archaic things where you transfer ink onto lined or otherwise decorated paper, fold it into an envelope and put it in the mailbox? 
) Having a conversation with someone by exchanging letters really gives me time to weave my thoughts together in an well-thought out manner. Encouraging someone through letters is a wonderful way that I’ve found to keep my brain active.
4. My children. I never imagined the depth of thought that I would discover resulting from a conversation with a young child! Toddlers and preschoolers often ask some very philisophical questions – way more engaging than a cooler-side conversation might be. I’ve struggled to remember some of the doozies that I’ve heard from Abigail, but a few examples that I could think of off the top of my head include:
Does God get sick?
Why do some parents yell at their children? (After witnessing this at a grocery store)
Do you think that Mr. Gil (our realtor) will sell our house before Jesus comes back from heaven? (in all seriousness)
Why don’t some people believe in God?
Obviously, there are also hobbies to discover, books to read, talk radio to listen to, and many other things that I can do to keep my mind from becoming “mushy”.
At least, that’s my hope.
