Amanda Lamb: Brain waves

"Mommy my brain goes like this," my youngest daughter says whipping her finger in a frenetic circle. "Yours goes like this,". She says slowing her finger down into a wide, methodical rotation.

She goes on to tell me how she has a lot of space in her brain for new things. That's why it is easier for her to learn a language or a piano piece, she says. She says my brain is pretty full, and can't take much more information. She says that's why "Mommies brains are so tired."

Out of the mouths of babes. I am stunned by her perceptive take on the differences between our brains. Frankly, I think she's dead on. Asking me to learn something new is akin to asking me to change a tire or rebuild a lawnmower engine.

"What, a new computer app, forget it, count me out, I don't have the energy," I say to my friend throwing my head back in disgust.

I don't even like to drive places that I am not familiar with. If my GPS can't find it, forget it, I'm not reading a map. I'll just turn around and go home.

But my kids suck up every bit of new knowledge that's thrown at them. They constantly ask me the meanings of words and phrases.

"Use it in a sentence," my older daughter says not satisfied with the definition I've given her.

So, I had this aha moment.

"Sweetie, do you think the doctor might be able to clean my head out of some of the information I don't need, so I can add new stuff?" I ask my youngest.

"That"s silly, Mommy. You might lose stuff you really need, like stuff about me when I was a baby," she says with a grin.

"Never," I say.