Life
While I'm not one to label people, human beings generally fall into two categories: those that are exceptional at math, and those that aren't. I fall into the latter category, although I can safety say it hasn't been too big of a detriment. Then, well, I had a child. Turns out, there are struggles parents who are bad at math know all too well; struggles that finally make that one match teacher who promised you math was "super important" and that you would really "use this stuff," not a bold-faced liar.
I'll be honest; once I graduated high school I didn't think I would use math on a regular basis. I mean, do people even balance their checkbooks anymore? No one was running around asking me what the square root of something was (and calculators on iPhones are a thing) so I was confident in my limited mathematical ability and didn't think I'd be tested on a regular, or even infrequent, basis.
However, after I had my daughter, I realized there are just some instances in which a calculator won't cut it. I had to do far more with math than I had been anticipating, and found myself wondering if paying attention in my high school math classes was a little more important than I had originally thought. If you were one of those kids who was never great at math, you completely understand what I mean, and you can probably relate to the following struggles:
Keeping Track Of Which Prenatal Week You're In Is Exhausting
If you aren't good at math, trying to transition from speaking in months to weeks may be a bit harder than you think. After all, you literally do everything by your maternity weeks: answer questions, know what size your baby is, know when you can find out the sex (if you choose to do so), have your gestational diabetes test, and so on and so forth. Add pregnancy brain into the mix, and a quick calculation becomes a pain in the you-know-what.
Remembering What Blood Pressure Is Good And Which Is Bad Is Impossible
Why are numbers in ratio form even a thing? Honestly.
Yes, I know that remembering the range of a healthy blood pressure is less about math and more about general knowledge and/or your ability to retain information but, still, it's tough, OK?
Tracking How Old Your Kid Is (In Months) Is Tedious
29 months? 34 months? I mean, at some point can we just all collectively decide that after a year, we don't track a kid's age using the number of months they've been alive? That would be awesome.
Measuring Out Newborn Formula Is The Worst...
If you choose (or have to) use formula as opposed to breast milk, you will have to measure out how much formula and how much water is needed per bottle. Easier said than done, you guys, especially in the middle of the night when you haven't slept in three days and numbers no longer makes sense.
...And Simply Tracking How Much Your Baby Is Drinking And/Or Eating Becomes A Pain
If your pediatrician is worried about your baby's weight and/or overall progress in the growing department, he or she may want you to track how much your baby is eating or drinking. Now the fun really begins, you guys. Measurements and adding and converting; it never ends.
Making Sure You're Administering The Correct Amount Of Medicine Is Scary
This is crucial. Just like when you measure out the correct amount of medicine for yourself to make sure you don't take too much, you need to make sure that you are measuring out the right amount for your baby when they need it. Being able to measure in those little syringes in milliliters and guess approximately what the correct amount is when it isn't labeled on the syringes can get especially tricky for someone bad at math. Ugh.
You're No Help When It Comes To Math Homework
There was a time, long, long ago (or maybe not that long ago, actually) when you celebrated your last math class and swore you would never use any of that useless mumbo jumbo again. Then you had a kid and realized that you're going to be the one they turn to when they need help with their math homework. School is back in session, buddy.
Tracking Your Kid's Extracurricular Activities Is Insanity
Now is a great time to be super organized, but it isn't going to help if you aren't good at math. You have to remember times of activities, the sheer number of activities, and allow for time to get to each location in a timely manner (especially if they are all close together).
Remember those, "If Car A takes off at this location traveling at so-and-so speed, and Car B takes off at a different location and travels at another speed, who gets to their destination first?" questions? Yeah, that's your life now. Congratulations.
