Brain drain, not 190 grain.

I have been told, and have repeated the sentiment often, that kids make you stupid. This isn't to say that they possess some sort of anti-logic rationality impairing virus that they spread by their very presence. No, that would be too simple. You could probably get a shot to take care of that. This is much more insidious.

It started with massive sleep deprivation. I was able to counter a lot of this through vitamin supplements and fish oil tablets. Still, there was a notable drop in my ability to think straight. A well rested brain is a well functioning brain. So there I am having to keep up with two children that are dependent on me. I'm the source of their intellectual stimulation, and they do indeed suck things up like a sponge.

Well, maybe more like a leech. See, while as a parent I'm working hard to provide positive stimulation for their intellectual development, they're providing soiled diapers and lots of crying. Hardly a fair trade.

After a while a person can only do so much, so they turn to Sesame Street. A street with monsters on it that enjoy counting and saying the alphabet and such. The residents of this street all go along with this and all the really freaking weird stuff that goes on there because I fully believe that if they don't the monsters will go on a rampage and kill them all horribly. That aside, the show and other programs geared towards children are all fine and dandy. They help teach counting and spelling. They often have cute songs. The kids eat it up.

Then I discover slowly but surely that I'm enjoying this. And there's a problem here. This problem is one that not only applies to TV, but in daily activities. The stimulation I'm receiving on a regular basis is the same as that of a child. Sure I can stay up late to watch movies and stuff and get a fix, but there's comics to write and draw, and sleep to be blissfully claimed. You see the problem?

What is stimulating to a small child doesn't do an adult a whole lot of good. The brain is like any muscle, if you don't use it, you end up losing it. I'm experiencing atrophy on multiple levels. This isn't good. I've managed to compartmentalize the bits I need to keep writing the stories I'm doing and keep drawing. However, outside of that the rest of me is going straight to hell. My karate has been suffering. I can barely hold a coherent conversation. It's pitiful. The only exception is when I'm discussing my projects since that portion of my brain is, for now, firewalled from the entropy that is slowly consuming my once stellar thought processes. This is A Flower for Algernon taking place over the course of decades!

There's only one way I can think to counter this. I'm going to have to force my kids to be smarter. No more Veggie Tales, we're moving on to Masterpiece Theater.