Will my man make the grade? Recap: Zani has taken control of Project Baby and formulated a research strategy, covering everything from preconceptual care to the most desirable place to give birth. If she sticks to the plan, the ugly trio Dread, Anxiety and Fear can surely be kept at bay … Now the question is: Will my man make the grade?
Keep going, Zani, you can do this.
Quick SMS to Jake: Hi handsome, something came up, will be late. Can u do chicken so long? love u! xx
(Wow, the research available is mind-blowing!)
Of course all of this makes it all the more important to look at the following point on my list: How to choose a partner to raise the baby’s IQ. I do feel rather guilty and more than a little worried that Jake would be offended if he ever found out that I was weighing options. Of course, the reality is that there could be no one else with whom I’d want a baby, but research is research and there’s nothing wrong with doing a bit of window shopping, is there? It’s not like I’d be putting anything on lay-bye or taking a sample home for a test run.
Besides, my investigation is throwing up some interesting information. Very interesting, if I’m honest about it. For instance, research shows that the higher the parents’ educational levels the greater the chance that Junior will come from a good gene pool. A higher level of education also increases the chance of the parents landing good jobs, which means it’s far more likely that Junior will receive good health care, have lots of toys and better day-care. And, truth be told, Jake more than meets all the criteria. He’s super smart – it’s one of the things I love about him.
Firstborn children also tend to be more intelligent because of the undivided attention of the parents, but only children do not necessarily score that well. How does that make sense? Well, the theory is – and it’s only a theory, remember – that older children tend to ‘educate’ younger siblings in their own way and so reinforce what they know and help build their own self-esteem at the same time. (I can vouch for that – my older sister used to boss me around endlessly and stole every bit of confidence I ever had by always pointing out to me that she knew so much more and could do everything faster and better than me! Then, of course, it was up to me to prove her wrong. And heaven knows I tried. Boy, did I try …)
When it comes to Einstein tablets, Jake has made the grade – our kids won’t need Einstein II pills. Jake is the eldest of three and has a degree in Business Management. Now me, on the other hand … All I can do is hold thumbs that Einstein tablets may be able to compensate for my lack of ‘smart genes’.
No, they won’t, say the scientists, with studies in the UK and USA showing only marginal improvement in the IQ of babies and young children when given a daily supplement. The good news is that teenagers, on the other hand, showed huge improvement in IQ scores when given daily supplements.
Not sure if I believe that, but I remind myself that I am just doing research, not evaluating research – and there is still a lot to go through, so I can’t afford to waste time. Jake will wonder whether I’ve abandoned him.
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