I've become dumb. I say 'become' because I wasn't always dumb. It happened some time in my 20's. Interesting. I also had three children in my 20's. Hmmmm... Coincidence? I think not.
Specifically I have lost the ability to spell, and it sucks because English and spelling used to be 'My Thing'! I was in honors English classes all through middle and high school. I did pretty good on my ACT's and I was even published in college (yeah, it was only the community college little creative writing book, but it counts). So hopefully by giving you this little resume I have convinced you I wasn't always the idiot I appear to be now.
What happened? One word. Pregnancy. I felt my former correct-spelling self actually slip away as I delivered my first child. Who knew that spelling isn't controlled by an area of the brain? It's actually controlled by your uterus. It has to be, otherwise my spelling wouldn't have been so affected by having kids. I think I can actually remember the doctor telling me everything that was going on. "Baby. Afterbirth. Oh! And here is your ability to spell correctly. Don't need that anymore." I really don't know. Maybe the doctor didn't even see it when my baby was born. Maybe it accidentally fell out and got kicked under the bed and then Matt and I just left it at the hospital.
I have, every now and then, regained a little spelling ability. But of course, I get pregnant again so any growth that little spelling gland has done is completely undone by having the baby. And now that I have done this four times, I fear I have permanently damaged my spelling uterus.
Here is an example of a few of the words I ALWAYS misspell -
1. Guard - I can never remember the order of the A and the U.
2. Priest - It just looks wrong. It seems like it should be one the those exceptions to the I before E rule.
3. Definitely - I always put an A where the second I is.
4. Medieval - Shouldn't it be mid-evil?
5. Across - is it one C or two?
6. Address - so if across is one C, shouldn't address just have one D?
I tell you all this, my dear friends, hoping that if you see some of my spelling errors, you will just smile and think of my beautiful children. And remember that once upon a time, I could write a paper without hitting spell check 37 times.
Kell! I love love love your blog! It is now midnight and Nick says dont be grumpy tomorrow! LOL! I can't stop reading. You are so amazing. I love your where has the day gone post. It is so much like all of our lives but you do it without the hubby! You are an inspiration to me! Thanks for sharing your funny and serious thoughts. I AM A FAN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know just whatcha mean!
ReplyDeleteI know this feeling well!
ReplyDeleteAMEN! Pregnancy has done crazy things to my brain. When I was pregnant with Sarah I was taking my senior seminar class where I had to write a 27 pg paper and would not be able to think of words. In my Spanish classes I would know what word I wanted, but couldn't think of it in either language.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for spell check. :-)
I remember making a handout for RS one time and I had one left over and proudly showed it to my mom. She said, "Oh Becky." I had misspelled grateful. I spelled it greatful. I was in my twenties at the time and had always thought it was spelled that way. :)
ReplyDelete