SpongeBob Has Nothing on Moms

by Cathy


You may have heard about the study conducted recently about how the fast-paced animated cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants has pretty much 'impaired' the ability of four-year olds to focus. In case you don't know the specifics, researchers sat four-year old kids down in front of the cartoon for nine minutes per day and found that afterwards, they pretty much exhibited signs of A.D.D. - lacking self-control, hard to focus on things, etc. compared to watching a much slower paced cartoon, like Caillou.

Hmmmm. I wondered if they were on to something here, these researchers. The truth is, when I watch some of these cartoons with my kids - and not just SpongeBob specifically - I find I can't even focus on what's going on. How do the kids follow these scene sequences, which by the way, according to reports, change every 11 seconds throughout the show. Really? Seems like they last shorter than THAT.

Ironically, life eerily mirrors these fast-paced shows for moms.

Before we had kids, we were able to take our time with tasks, sit down and have full-blown conversation, maintain a thought process that lasted because thoughts were never constantly interrupted and came at a slower pace since we didn't have much to worry about except ourselves and maybe our significant others. We were able to make plans and keep them and even remember why we walked into a room. We kept up with making calls to family and friends on a consistent basis, we looked more relaxed, rested and put together. We were Caillou.

After kids, we are thrown full force into SpongeBob mode. Things move at a crazed pace. Schedules and the clock rule our lives. We are constantly looking at the time. "This needs to be done NOW and if it doesn't, it will throw everything else off." God forbid you fall behind and try to catch up; that's when accidents are bound to happen. Then you are stuck cramming your life into the cracks of time that are allowed for you. 'Better get that sentence out while it's still fresh in your mind; better do that task now before you forget about it and the earth's balance is thrown off; better make that call now - even if you're sitting on the toilet.'

This brings me to multitasking. We have a million things going on at once and we don't know where to focus. Our lives become one hectic, crazed, fast-paced SpongeBob episode. And this way of living? It has now trickled into our once serene selves, forcing us to live this way constantly: think fast, speak fast, do fast, go fast,watch the clock, schedule this, schedule that. You get so wired to live this way that now you, in return, expect things to be done instantly as well.

It's important to note that I am not solely pointing the finger at kids and cartoons. I'm positive the strides in technology and living in a world of "instant" have contributed loads to this as well.

It took me a long time to really get John Lennon's famous quote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I never understood that when I was young. Now, I get it perfectly.

We are in a boat with time, racing down a river and headed towards a waterfall.

It's time for all of us to get out of the water, sit down with our kids and tune into Caillou.