Well it was bound to happen. It happens to millions of kids around the country. The Mad Minute.

The Mad Minute. Where said kid has 60 seconds to do a set number of math fact problems starting with the easiest and as they finish those sheets, they go on to harder sheets. They do this year after year, grade after grade. And I know this isn’t something only the kids’ school does. The prince did them in TX, the princess has two friends at different schools and they do them.

The Mad Minute. The reason the princess doesn’t know what 7+8 today is even though she knew perfectly well it was 15 two weeks ago.

I’m at a bit of a loss as to how to help her much. The prince never had an issue with The Mad Minute. In fact, he was always one of the first ones through the series because that kid never met a competition he didn’t like. Or meet. Head on. And conquer.

Anyhow, the prince and I have set out to figure a way to let the princess succeed at The Mad Minute. Since she failed miserably last week, I took an empty sheet of the problems she is working on and we’ve had her do it over and over and over. The prince is timing her (and then averaging her times because “I love to average” he says ). He’s being such a doll and really trying to help her and when she gets all negative talk he just tells her she can do it. Which of course she can but she’s got herself all freaked out over the timing issue.

But then I made an important discovery. She doesn’t see the problem in her head. See, when someone asks me what 7 + 8 is, I automatically see a 7 on top of an 8 and then a line and then a 15. So does the prince. But the princess sees nothing, so she says. So what happened was this:

Me: Princess, what’s 7 + 8?

Princess: Uh, seven plus eight is, uh, uh, uh 15.

Me: What’s 7 + 8

Princess: Uh, seven plus eight is, uh, uh ,uh 15.

And over and over and over. The prince finally screams JUST SAY 15 BECAUSE SHE IS ASKING YOU THE SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

But you know, she just didn’t get that.

Now what?

She did get quicker, but this is going to be extremely painful if I don’t figure a way to get it in her head. And obviously her head doesn’t work like mine so I’m a bit at a loss. Parenting. Not for wusses.