You don't know what your mother can do for you

I know it's not right to eavesdrop but I couldn't help when two ladies in front of me on a very crowded street during lunch time in Central talks loudly.

A: .... being late makes you smarter.

B: Really?

A: That's the case of Einstein. Because he was late, his brain is a lot bigger. Look at the size of his head in pictures!

The light turned green and I moved on.

I have the book of Einstein's speeches and there is a picture of him on the inside sleeve. His head was big but so was his hair (I think he defined bed head!)

I know Einstein was supposed to have some learning disability as a kid. I imagine that is not the cause of being smart but just one of the many challenges he overcame in his life.

So, what can that lateness be? Ah! Gotta be he was an overdue baby! Doctors consider 37 weeks as full term. Overdue is normal, especially for the first born but the doctor will either induce or operate to bring the baby to the world if it's TOO overdue as the placenta starts to degenerate and the baby may not be getting enough nutrients and more importantly oxygen inside the womb which can actually impair the brain and cause all sorts of problems in the future. That's why you give birth naturally between 37 to 41 weeks.

I still cannot connect the big head, lateness and intelligence that those two ladies were talking about. There's a famous Cantonese saying 头大无脑,脑大生草(A large skull may not be fully filled with a brain. A large brain may have a big cavity). If I don't wear a size 58 hat, does that make me stupid? If I can ever have #2, should I keep #2 in me for as long as possible so that I am not depriving my baby from being smart? Sorry Changunnie, you were just full term, not overdue...mummy won't force you to apply for Caltech when you turn 15.

The conclusion I have is a mother will go through any pain to give the best to her children. Whether it is the danger that an expecting mother has to endure (for those who aren't mothers, giving birth is a common cause of death of women in less developed countries. It's indeed dangerous), eating the best food to provide for the fetus to finding the right school for you, attending PTA, worrying about whether you have the right career choice, dating the right people....etc. The list goes on and I cannot quite finish it. All I want to say is the next time you want to talk back when your mother is giving you a lecture, bite your lips before you say a word. Your mother could have gone for a Cesarean at 28 weeks!