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1. Addition…
The Math of Motherhood starts in the parental planning phase. If I have a baby at 38 I will be what age when this baby graduates high school (38 + 18 = ?), college, If this child marries at 30 how old will I be, and so on.
2. Estimating…
Next, comes conceiving and estimating the best time to try. Then, of course, there is your estimated due date which is calculated at forty weeks from the day of you last period with that fun little round tool you doctor or midwife uses.
3. Division…
Then we move onto pregnancy which we count in week but people who are not pregnant don’t get it so we are forced to do a quick division problem on the spot to better help them understand how pregnant we are (34 ÷ 4.3 = ?).
4. Rounding numbers…
We mark our children’s ages in weeks then months until they are almost two; then we starting rounding further (ex. almost 2, 2, a little more than 2, 2 and ½; then it jumps to 3, 3 and ½, 4, and pretty soon the half years are dropped).
5. Percentages…
We dutifully take our children to their doctors visits where they are weighed and measured. These numbers are graphed with their age and a percentage is determined and compared on a bell curve. Sometimes this information can indicate potential issues but most of the time they are just interesting statistics to tell Grandma about and discuss with spouse.
6. Word problems (this one boggles me)…
If your district’s cut-off for kindergarten is September 1st and your daughter turns 5 on August 31 and your son turns 3 on September 2nd (making them 2 years and two days apart in age), how many schools years apart will they be.
Or
If your district’s kindergarten cut-off is September first and your daughter turns 5 on September second and your son turns 3 on August 31 (making them 2 years minus 2 days apart in age), how many schools years apart will they be.
Or if your kids are born 2 years and plus or minus 2 days any other time of the year.
7. Fractions…
It’s our job as mother’s to divide desserts into fair and equal parts. Example: there is only one Devil Dog left and 4 people but Daddy counts as 2 and Mommy doesn’t want any; that makes ¼, ¼, and ½.
8. Probabilities…
We read to our kids everyday ensuring a high probability that they will become readers themselves.
9. Physics (this one amazes me)…
I couldn’t carry the weight of my 4 and 6 year old together across a room but I can push them, plus the weight of a double stroller for a 45 minute walks around my neighborhood no problem!
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Got any more?
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Need to brush up on your math knowledge and skills?
It amazes me how women carry such heavy babies and children like they were nothing.. Guess it’s just part of the super mommy powers…I hope my super mommy kit comes with math skills ’cause I’ll need them!
Larissa T. recently posted..Three Fears.
Ha, ha, ha, I bet you are being modest!
I was thinking about that one too. I guess it’s that you can kind of rest them on your hip or maybe it is superhero mommy powers!
Love #6, the word problem!
I thought this was a pregnancy announcement, I had to scroll through quickly then come back and read the whole thing. This is some complicated stuff!
Tiffanie recently posted..away
No announcement! I did the math ; )
That is fun but also strangely challenging. And all true. Who knew we had to do so much math to parent?:)
PragmaticMom recently posted..Reflections from my 25th Harvard Reunion
I KNOW! Thanks!
This is awesome! And so true with all of the rounding and adding and subtracting. It’s especially hard because suddenly you’re doing all this math with mommy brain. Cruel.
Artchoo recently posted..Kids Love Dinos Because Dinos are Cool
Doing it with mommy brain is SO true!!! Although I love having the mommy brain excuse.
So cute and funny…special mommy math. I did the first when I decided I was too old to have a baby. Mmmm…let’s see I’m 43 now, if by some remote chance I could still get pregnant, I could be mid 40s which would make me 60 when they were a teenage and paying for college in my mid 60s.
Nope, I’m much too tired at 43, I’ll surely be exhausted by that time.
Tania recently posted..Four Things I’m Loving Now…
I did that math this year too!
This is fun! I love how you come at a subject from so many different angles. I’ve been trying to think of some other ones, but I think you covered them all!
Elisa | blissfulE recently posted..some of the artwork from yesterday
Thanks! I was hoping to get it to ten but the ideas stopped at nine so maybe you’re right!
Love it! How about: Predicting how long it will take toddler to eat his spaghetti, and the probability of him getting to bed on time. “If I allow two minutes for tooth brushing…add another four minutes for chasing him around the house to get him into pajamas…add extra time for wiping hands and face…consider the likelihood of him requesting extra lullabies…he should make it to bed by tomorrow morning at 3 a.m.”
Krista recently posted..Tomato And Fresh Basil Soup With Parmesan Toasts
Added this post to my inspiring links for the month on my blog sidebar
Krista recently posted..Tomato And Fresh Basil Soup With Parmesan Toasts
Thanks Krista – I am honored!!!
Oh, those are good ones. Nights and mornings – lots of subtracting time.
I did the word problem!
The first example they will be 3 years apart in school.***
The second example they will be 1 year apart in school.***
The third example, as long as their bday’s don’t straddle the cutoff date then they will be 2 years apart in school.
***unless you ask for a waiver of the policy being so close to the cutoff! Sheesh!
Kris recently posted..Evidence of the Afterlife – A Review
Gold star! Not throw in there readiness and things could really seem screwy!