My girls won’t get no math!

Being a mum occassionally gets overwhelming, many a times. I am of the type that tend to bear not just my problems, but those of my loved ones as well.

Schools closed 2 weeks ago. They call it  ’sports holiday’ here, whereby folks hibernate to the mountains to do skiing before the snow melts down to pave way for spring. Skiing, we don’t know how to do, yet. And there are many like us, including natives, for which I am comforted. But just 5 kms drive from us, is a smaller snow-capped mountain. Which is where we did our version of skiing—they call it sledging. Harmless, yet affords a smaller degree of the skiing thrill.

Initial plans were that we visit Kenya to escape the cold, but God had other plans. Kenya happened they it did, and we could not go to Kenya. Here I am, stuck in the house with little people, outside it is biting cold, what to do?

I went to the bookshop and bought books, for math as well as reading. I then passed forth this decree:

Thou shalt excel in thy school work. Then, they shall know that Kenyans can do it as well as the Swiss. Ye shall read and speak Deutch as well as they do. Ye shall do the numbers better than they. Thou shalt excel and leave them wondering: What happened here? Who are these little black faces that shine thus?

Little people are not amused. But what do they know? A mum’s gotta do whatever it takes.

I was holding Mish on my laps, trying to teach her how to add up in tens. (since 3+4 =7; then 13+14=27 and so it goes without saying 30+40=70) I was hoping that by so doing, motherly love would create a direct channel to her thinking processes whereupon her eyes would glow brightly like two torches. She would then glide off my laps and announce with faintly glee, “Mum, I get it now!”

Instead, my dear Mish, in all honesty confessed, ” Mum, my brain is not working today.” My baby. I told her to forget the damn sums. Take a break. Do some colouring. Sing. Watch some cartoons. We’ll try it another time. And Lau too, gets confused when too many zeros, are included.

It is not easy. At school, they have to take instructions in German. Mostly they hear and understand, but I am sure not as well as the other kids. I know it will be well eventually. For now, I have to lay-off somewhat and watch and simply pray.