Osmosis: Myth or Reality?

In college, we would often contemplate whether or not sleeping in the library with your head on your book would actually be more beneficial than sleeping with your head on the desk or on your arm. The theory being that direct contact with the subject material would result in a transfer of knowledge from the more concentrated book into the less "intelligent" brain. This was geeky humor at a theoretical school, but I must admit I tried it once or twice...

Well, I am back on the experimental wagon, but rather than using myself as the test subject, I have turned to Baby C. Friends and relatives have been hounding on the importance of reading books and playing music, suggesting that Baby C will emerge with a familiarity of our voices and an apparent taste for outdated music and monotonous talk radio. There may be some validity to this process, but I am more interested in selfish pursuits.

With my first set of finals right around the corner, and the prospect of reduced sleep due to changing diapers and feeding Baby C, I need to find a way to get back to a level playing field. Therefore, I have convinced Brecken to invest in my future and the future of her son.

Each evening, rather than reading Barnyard Dance or The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I have been talking Baby C through the following diagram, highlighting the benefits of the income and substitution effects on market demand. Who needs stinkin' caterpillars turning into butterflies anyway?











Now that Brecken is no longer working, she has extra time for multi-tasking. While watching TV and answering "When is this kid going to show up" calls from our families, she is investing in Baby C. Here Baby C is seen focusing on Microeconomics, Accounting, and Statistics.


Talk about good parenting. We'll keep you posted on the progress of our testing and the results of my finals.