My son came back with a booklet yesterday offering me advice on how to help him with his maths homework.

There are lots of different suggestions for what we could talk about when we are out and about – house numbers and the exchanging of money for example. They suggest that we could plan a journey together and then get on the bus and then I could then ask him to work out how long it will take, based on an average speed of lets say 30mph.

WHAT?

I don’t know how to do that. It would result it me being made to look immensely stupid and incredibly dull. I don’t want to have that discussion with my children on the bus. I want to talk about where we are going, who is on the bus, who said what to who at school. If I suddenly asked one of them to calculate the distance we are travelling and how long its going to bloody take, they would look at me with pity in their eyes, tell me what a sad loser I was and go and sit somewhere else and frankly, I wouldn’t blame them. I used to HATE it when my father suddenly decided to play the public humiliation game by randomly asking one of us what fraction of the apple he was eating (especially because it was always middle brother that got the answer right).

So. I for one will not be doing that. I haven’t done it so far and my two older children are quite good at maths and actually ENJOY it as a subject which is no thanks to me whatsoever and long may that last….

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Family Affairs

Navigating single parenting and life in London, supported by wine, theatre, travelling and friends.

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3 Comments
  • Eclipse
    February 25, 2011

    I guess people would look at you a bit strangely if you did that on public transport. We used to do quizzes on car journeys encompassing almost anything, hence why I know who won the world cup (football) in 1966 and that the capital of Tazmania is Hobart. Fun but completely useless info.

    Reply
    • Family Affairs
      February 25, 2011

      They do that with their dad. He loves giving them quizzes on car journeys. Used to make me feel sick – hence my brain is bereft of useless information and I never get asked to quiz nights Lx

      Reply
  • Expat Mum
    February 25, 2011

    I’m married to an accountant so I pass all maths on to him. Terrible stereotyping I know, but I don’t care. Life’s too short to do maths all over again.

    Reply