I read an article today about new and old studies proving that it is mothers who pass on intelligence to their children. By this theory, paternal genes accumulate in "the emotional centres of the brain" such as the hypothalamus and amygdala. These are part of the limbic system, responsible for both function and survival. The cerebral cortex however contains no paternal cells and it is the area of the brain where cognitive functions such as intelligence, thought and language are housed. These are then passed on through the mother's x chromosome.

I thought about it. I knew from former reading it is, indeed, estimated that "between 40%-60% of intelligence is inherited." Over the years, studies I have perused have oscillated between one sex being responsible for knowledge or the other- the argument being on one hand that women have two x chromosomes and men have an x and a y; one point of view maintaining a child receives an x chromosome from both parents and because the mum has two, and intelligence exists in the x chromosome, they are more likely to pass on "characteristics related to intelligence." The father in turn is responsible for the "limbic system" which comes into play when decisions and actions must be taken. He is also the one passing on emotion and intuition.

The other point of view maintains that because the father has both x and y chromosomes, he passes on a more diverse knowledge base to the child.

Hmm.

In an age where "male toxicity" and "male privilege" are at the forefront of this new battle of the sexes, the emergence of his article can be looked at as a definitive win for women: They are the smarter ones. In fact, the role-reversal placing emotion and intuition on the male side of hereditary genes - and these traditionally considered 'female traits' - makes the male intelligence quotient obsolete when it comes to choosing a father for one's children. Einstein's sperm will not necessarily beget another Einstein.

Of course, the remaining percentages have to do with environmental, social and cultural impacts. If an intelligent child is not nurtured and encouraged to pursue and develop further knowledge because of the circumstances surrounding them, their intelligence stagnates.

It is this point which raised alarm bells in my head: If the mother is responsible for passing on intelligence and the father responsible for the limbic system- we're kinda fucked right now because our brains work as a "whole" and traditional family roles have all but become obsolete. God help the kids, as a result.

I will talk about boys- given I am a mother of two and an aunt to a third living with us almost a year now. First though, some history.

Traditionally, a woman looked after a boy until puberty. She fed, clothed and protected the child. She answered his questions and helped him navigate the early years. If there was a close bond between mother and son, the son (a fact also backed by these new studies) was more likely to to feel confident and to achieve far greater intellectual prowess. 

From puberty onward, the father took over the rearing of the child and his role was to teach his son to be a man. From basic things like shaving, to self-protection and the responsibilities of providing for, caring for and protecting his home and family, the boy mimicked his father and became in turn protector of his own household.

Mothers passed on one kind of intelligence to the child and fathers another. The child received a balanced knowledge base from which to expand. Roles were clearly defined. The girl child would grow to have children and tend to them as her mother did and the boy child would grow into a man and a father who would in turn become responsible for his male child.

Today's children... I was sat at a cafe a few afternoons back, on a Saturday. Next table there was a young girl (about 10 or so) and her mum. The girl had an iPad, the mother a phone. There was no interaction between them, both busy staring down at their own screens. At one point however, the girl looked up and asked, "Mum, what is a cha... cham... chameleon?" (She pronounced it 'cha' as in charm.)

Instantly, I had not only corrected her in my head, I had the answer ready. "A chameleon is a... and did you know..."

The mum looked up for a second, alerted by the child's voice and then... "I don't know. Google it," came out her blase mouth. Watching her reaction, I got firstly she didn't hear the question and secondly, even if she had, she'd be clueless to answer. Both heads returned to their respective screens.

Google it? What the fuck are you doing, woman?

A melange of questions floated in the space between their table and mine as instances of one boy or another asking me something popped out of my memories. Mostly, I'd known the answers and a discussion would open up; sometimes pursuing that initial question, others leading to even more questions. I thrived in that environment! And if I hadn't know the answer, out would come a reference book or a dictionary (later the internet) and we would both have learned a new word or concept.

To this day, despite both sons being grown men, I still get questions. Even with phones or laptops nearby, I get asked first. "Mum, when did..."

And off we go again, exploring one idea which oftentimes leads us down some strange paths as it expands to another and another. If all three young men are present we can be hours, tossing ideas and hypotheses around.

Some days, as obscure words and even more obscure concepts are spat out by me, I'll say, "Don't know where the fuck that answer came from! Why do I have all this stuff in my head?"

"Maybe it's all those books taking up almost two taxi-boxes- you got half a ton of them, mum!"

"That's a lot of bloody time learning..." (Some part of me always wonders how much time I wasted 'learning stuff' at the expense of 'living stuff'...)

Yet it is this, the constant answering of questions, else the shared search for answers, which has kept me relevant to their lives as the boys grew to men. Believing their mother initially, then as they grew, discovering that their belief could be trusted - meaning I was a reliable, proven source - gave them the confidence to pursue knowledge of their own accord.

Google it?

We are fucked.

Me being me I pursued the thought further and further. If this young girl had grown up on a steady diet of "Google it", and if the mother gave over her primary role to the school system and to technology then... where was the mother-child bond now? It must have been there early on- oh.

"Little boxes, on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky, little boxes on the hillside, little boxes all the same..."

She had a wedding ring. No single mum household this one. She wore fashionable gym gear. I bet she drove either a Porsche or a BMW SUV. I bet they also lived in one of the nearby 'leafy suburbs' where the freeway users have to brake and slow to 80kmh so as to not disturb the residents.

"And they all have pretty children, and the children go to school, and the children go to summer camp, and then to the university, where they are all put in boxes, and they come out all the same..."

(Damn song's been playing on loop for weeks now, ever since we had to move in with the Sentinels and having no access to their WiFi, we'd had to watch regular TV. Our years "in the bush" down the coast were spent mainly outdoors and when indoors, we HAD no TV. And watching the crap on free-to-air which mostly consists of reality shows, colorful and loud childish 'game-shows', re-runs in-between, inducements to consume, consume, consume and then the political and social agenda-pushing... we began believing we are living is a different reality to everyone else!)

Most women have to work these days; how else can a couple afford a home, and here, two cars since both have to commute to and from their respective careers. Mothers get anywhere between a few weeks to a few months 'leave' and then the babies are put into 'daycare' and then a series of school levels they must climb. Then there are all the after school and weekend 'structured play' activities where dads get to watch their children play sport and feel less guilt about the fact they can't remember the last time they kicked a ball around with them. Everyone - parents and children alike - return home tired at every age most days.

And what do all these tired people do to escape, when they return home? They watch TV else turn to technology and Social Media. Mothers might also have to tackle home duties such as dinner and cleaning depending on their culture so... who has either the time or inclination for questions, let alone answers? And, when questions do pop up, children get the above response.

Sure... the argument could be made that those mothers are teaching them autonomy; I mean the world in its entirety is within their bloody screens. Tap some keys... out pops any answer.

Here's the thing though: If a mother is disinclined or unable to answer a child's question and instead pushes the child to an external source... the argument could be made that the child will 'copy' the mother and not bother pursuing the answer. After all, if it was important, surely the child's primary carer could answer or perhaps learn, in order to best answer? Children learn by example, do they not? When there is disinterest on the mother's part the child will, perhaps, assume whatever it asks is 'unimportant'.   

I need to ask here: When did motherhood become victim to agendas? When did it become something 'measurable' therefore 'comparable' and foremost, WHY was the conclusion reached that motherhood be placed behind a 'career' in order to be on par with men? Motherhood is a bloody career! As is fatherhood.

Yes, I chose my sons over a daily commute and I guess, what they call these days "empowerment" and a little box on the hillside. And yes, we did it tough as a result. But. I was there to answer the babbling brook of questions. I still am. And if intelligence is indeed passed on through the mother I can sit back and smile. Job done.

(Dylan is sitting outside with me now compiling yet another 70's playlist. He just asked "You know this one, mum?" I answered by way of singing the next couple of lines. Then I paused. "Fuck, you are storing all this music in your phone and I bloody have it all in my head! Music and lyrics! Is memory infinite?")

James wandered out, catching the last few sentences. "Just think, the memory of that song has been sitting in your brain since the 70's and right now, as you remembered it, a synapse fired up again!"

"Like I need another bloody synapse firing! And I don't know how to end this write!"

"What's it about?"

"About how mothers are the ones passing on intelligence to their kids."

"We're fucked then!" came the chorus.

"That's what I wrote!"