Mama Diaries

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Stupid Mama

Wasn't it just a month ago that my daughter said I was freakishly smart?  Well, now I'm freakishly stupid - at least according to her.

"Mom, can you help me with my homework?" she asked.

"Sure," I said.  "What do you have?"

She showed me her math problems.  The question was, "Is 12 1/2% of 800 greater than 25% of 400?"  I immediately knew that they were equal, and tried to explain this to my daughter.

"25% is the same as 1/4.  If you divide 400 by 4, the answer is 100.  12 1/2 percent is half of 25%, which is the same as 1/8.  If you divide 800 by 8, the answer is 100."

She looked at me like I had rocks in my head.  "Mom, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay,"  I said.  "You can also multiply 800 by .125.  That equals 100.  If you multiply 400 by .25, that equals 100."

She gave me another look.  "You're not supposed to multiply."

"Well, the word, 'of' can indicate a multiplication problem."

That really set her off.

Moving on to English, a subject I know absolutely nothing about:  My daughter had to correct sentences with grammar and punctuation errors.  The sentence read something like, "Claire, Rachel, and Sam came with i to the store."

"The word, 'i,' is incorrect," I said.

"No, it's not.  It just needs to be capitalized."

I shook my head.  "The correct word should be, 'me.'"

"You're wrong, Mom."

"Fine," I said.  "Just leave it the way it is if you think it's right.  What do I know?"

She left it the way it was.

(It's going to be very hard to resist saying, "I told you so," when she comes back with it marked wrong!)

19 comments:

  1. hahaha well at least she will learn and you should go with the "I told you so" burn. Or maybe "Me told you so" haha

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  2. I just hope it is marked wrong! Too many teachers don't know their grammar. My children came home with some letters from teachers that made me cringe.

    Love,
    Janie, The Queen of Grammar

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    1. If it's not marked wrong, I will go to the school and have a little talk with the teacher!

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  3. My kids were always telling me I knew nothing! Strange now my eldest is at university she often asks me to proof read things for her!

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    1. I have a feeling I'm going to know nothing for the next ten years or so. When she's twenty-three, she might think I know something, again. LOL!

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  4. Haha well I love that you allowed her to go with what she thought was correct! That's the easiest thing to do I suppose.

    I'm with Janie though, let's hope the teacher knew well enough too!!

    Unedited has love for ya...

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  5. Oh gosh, is this what I have to look forward to with my kids? I'm gonna have so much fun! Let us know how the "I told you so" moment goes over. :D

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    1. I bet you can't wait! I'll keep you updated on the "I told you so."

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  6. HAH HAH HAH HAH. That's hilarious! My daughter is very much like this too!

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    1. They think they know more than we do, don't they? LOL!

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  7. Sad. If she knows everything (as most kids believe they do) why bother asking you? lol

    I have students who attempt to browbeat me when I correct their homework and essays.

    I fear the future. lol

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    1. I can't figure it out, either. If I'm that stupid, then don't ask for help!

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  8. Kids never think we know wht we're talking about.

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  9. It took me 40 years to realize my mother was smarter than me, ...er, I. :)

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