Eating Humble Pie

We are stuck on the sixes...

That would be the number six fact family of addition in school (you know, 6 plus 2, 6 plus 5, etc.) Despite my controlling and overbearing attempts to practice the six family until oblivion, we still have not mastered it. Or correction my first grade son has not mastered it yet. And the problem is we cannot move on to the sevens until we get all the sixes right. So we continue to drill the 6 fact family.

The real story is that I know my son is smart. I know he knows it. I think he misses the little details because he's 6 1/2 and as a boy, would rather be running wildly in the outdoors. Or anything else other than having his mom drill him like a tiny army soldier about what six plus whatever equals.

I guess my freaky mommy side is showing -- The problem is I can't help him and it's bugging me. I want him to do well in school. I want him to keep up with the other kids. But I don't know whether to shut up, back off, keep drilling, or what else to do. So in my desperate attempt in what to do, I simply asked him.

On the way home from school I said "what would you do if you were the parent and your child didn't master the 6 fact family?" (as if this is the greatest problem in the world.)

He quietly said, "I would say, that's okay son, keep trying and do your best."

How is it that a six year old has it all figured out? Time to eat some humble pie.