The Psychology of Sharing Gizzard and Focusing, or the Lack of It

My son Bob told me of a story about a gizzard the other day. I had asked him if there was a reason why men were able to focus on only one item at at time. And why women were able to distribute there focus on various things.

“That’s psychology being used on you.” He swore.

Psychology? What has that got to do with Psychology? Since when did Psychology …

He went on to narrate a belief his tribe carries, to this day, that the gizzard should not be shared. It should only be eaten by one person.

“There was this guy that didn’t believe in limiting himself. So he went all out. Let’s just say he lived on the edge of everything. His tribe’s men believed in many things; one being, as you may have guessed, not sharing the gizzard. Asking why got him the strangest reason, or shall I call it ‘a limiting factor?”

He paused, sipped some cocoa and scooped some nuts tossing them to the back of the mouth. All this time we were sitting on the kitchen floor.

“Because ‘Sharing the gizzard brings about commotions in the family’ so he went on sharing the gizzard. Let me explain. Sharing is caring, but when it comes to the gizzard that’s we draw line. We apparently choose to have a racket if the old man isn’t around. But if he is around he consumes it. If the old man is dead, then the first son takes over and eats the gizzard. And if he’s not, his second son. You get the point, right?”

But what if the old man and the sons had travelled to a distant land, would they store the gizzard until they return? I wondered.

“I can see the question in your eyes. The case of a girls-only family, huh?”

Phew! The guy who lived on the edge had a point. But first, the reason most men are able to focus on only one item at at time and women on several is Psychology. Women are the child bearers and by nature child-minders. They are therefore more likely to multitask because while they stir porridge, they also calm down the baby. As they wash clothes, they cook. They supervise homework while reading or writing. They are able to divide attention equally among available duties. Or better still allocate the minimum attention to the least important duty.

Men on the other hand aren’t child bearers. I would have liked to put a fullstop right there but there are a few men that are different in the sense that they multitask. Such include most Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Most men focus on one item at a time. So when a man watches TV he does just that. He focusses on writing. Or reading.

But men and women aren’t born that way. This is Psychology. Psychology in that most girls grow up with the multitasking mind and most boys focusing on one thing at a time even though they would have grown otherwise. They are taught what to do, how to do and why they should it. They learn. And those who ‘rebel’ are labelled unruly.

And second, that’s why the guy living on the edge has a point. He became defiant in that he questioned the cracks on the wall. The girls-only family story. The not-around father issue. The far-away sons narrative. And concluded that there’s no danger in sharing the gizzard.

Oh, and the reason why my son Bob doesn’t share a tribe with me is because he is part of #Mom2Sons Team