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Anorak News | The Parent Trap

The Parent Trap

by | 8th, September 2004

‘SADDAM Hussein may once have been able to boast 100% approval ratings, but 99% is as near as newspapers ever get to unanimity.

‘And you think I’m stupid now…’

There’s always one person who misunderstands the question, who dials the wrong number or who is just plain bloody-minded and selects the wrong answer in the phone poll.

And the chances are that that person is someone who has just had a baby.

According to the Sun, having kids makes parents thick.

A study in the United States found that the IQ of both men and women dropped significantly in the immediate aftermath of having a child.

Dr Hosung Lee, of Indiana University, said all 173 couples tested fared worse after starting a family, with most dropping 20 or more IQ points.

‘It explains why parents think their kid is the smartest in class or the best athlete, even if that child is as dumb as a box of rocks or needs a calendar to time a 100-yard sprint,’ he says.

‘People who before were intelligent and open-minded turn into raving lunatics who want to blame a teacher or sports coach every time their mediocre child fails.’

Not that we use words like ‘mediocre’ and ‘failure’ these days – it’s just different levels of success.’



Posted: 8th, September 2004 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink