We were on our way back home from a long dance class, where my daughter spent two hours dancing to "The Stray Cat Strut", for an upcoming dance recital.
"Dad", said Rachel, my first grader, "let's play a quiz game!"
"OK", I said, "let's hear it."
"What's the most beautiful part of St. Louis?"
"Shaw's Garden", I said, giving the local name for the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
"WRONG!", Rachel said, "The answer is 'The City.' "
Hey, she's urban, OK? Plus, it's hard to argue with that statement, from my perspective.
This went on for seven or eight other random "questions." I was almost always "wrong", even when I was right. I wish I had a mental recording of the conversation so I could use more examples, but I'm senile, so they are gone!
"Let's try another one", she said.
"OK," I said. I wasn't going anywhere.
"What is eleven times zero?
"It's zero!" I answered.
"Really?", she said, "because I really don't know multiplication."
"Yep", I said, "multiplication is really just about groups of things. So you asked me how many of something I would have if I had zero groups of eleven."
"Oh", she said.
"So", I asked her, "what would three times two be?"
"Hmmm", she thought, as she climbed out of the car, "six?"
"That's right! I said."
"I get it", Rachel said.
And just like that, she understands multiplication.
Awesome. Come on over to my house now, ok?
Posted by: abunslife | February 05, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Sweet! Now do division! :)
Posted by: Kim | February 05, 2009 at 03:47 PM
Man, I wish I could understand math that easily!
Posted by: Kathy G | February 05, 2009 at 06:53 PM
Congratulations! You've been included in the Earnest Parenting Heroes In Parenting (HIP) project for this post. The project is all about offering encouragement to parents by highlighting folks who are doing great things in their parenting. You can read all about it at http://www.earnestparenting.com/2009/02/06/hip-second-edition/
Posted by: AmyL | February 08, 2009 at 10:25 PM