Yesterday while in the car, M and I were discussing about gasoline prices, cars, the impact of petroleum in today’s world - yeah, we’re a couple who can talk about world peace and war for hours. Lol! 

He was computing how many liters we consume per day given the distance to work and back and the amount of petrol we use to refill the car tank. He computed fast without pen and paper before I could even make out the numbers in my mind, he came up with a quick answer. Thank God I married someone good in Math!

I struggled with Mathematics since day one of school. I remembered my father not letting me sleep until I memorize the multiplication table when I was 8 because he knew that if I could not get past that, I will not go anywhere in life. That was a hard way of learning at a young age but I am thankful that he did it. My father would diligently sit with me every night and tirelessly guide me through my waterloo.

I struggled with elementary math, fractions, factoring then came algebra, trigonometry and calculus. I cringe every time I get my report card because I expect that my lowest grade would be that one Math related subject and I am always right.

Right now, our daughter is 4 years old. The only Mathematics she knows right now is counting 1-100 and adding single digits using her little fingers. She breezes through it almost effortlessly. Did she get her dad’s genes? I certainly hope so but in case she didn’t, I hope I have all the patience in the world to sit with her and guide her, just like my father did when I was young.