To hate constantly feeling a bit dozy?

[murrayjul]

DH is extremely clever and DS takes after him. I also know lots of very clever and informed people and I find them so interesting but at the same time am conscious I'm nowhere near their level and at home frequently feel quite thick when DH is explaining a complex mathematical thing to DS and I don't get it!

Anyone else feel the same?

Nope! I'm so bad at maths that I got a U in my GCSE's but I'm not that way inclined. My intelligence lies in other areas..as will yours. What are you good at?

I don't know what lateral means!

My DH can do advanced calculus, but struggles with basic mental arithmetic for some reason. He's also hopelessly impractical.

I'm sure you balance each other out.

Who cares? I'd rather spend time with someone who admits they don't know what lateral means, than someone who talks about maths (complex or not)!

They don't talk about maths all the time but I am conscious as DS gets older that I'm going to not know a lot of the things he will find interesting.

If your child asks you questions you can't answer, use it as an opportunity to look into it and learn together. And let him teach you too, its a great bonding opportunity.

It isn't always possible to do that.

But a lot of the time is is. Why so negative?

I'm not being negative, I just know that if DS needs help with maths homework or has a scientific type question to ask, or wants to know about military history or geography or astronomy then I can't help him. As a result, he naturally goes to DH which means we are growing apart quite rapidly.

The problem with maths is that's its something you either get it or you don't. I am shit at it and nothing is ever going to change that.

Being well informed is a totally different thing altogether. Anyone can become well informed/well read, regardless of their academic ability. Read books and newspapers, watch the news, watch documentaries.

Of course you can. You can clearly use a computer, look it up! If he wants to know about geography you look at the maps or whatever together, military history you look up websites and talk about what you see.

You're saying that if he wants to know anything youre unwilling to even try, so of course he is going to go to the parent who makes the effort.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying

I'm saying the opposite but you don't want to read it.

Oh and yes, in my expereince it's true that people who are very good at maths or science tend to lack any kind of common sense or self awareness whatsoever, and lateral thinking means that you are more creative minded. IMO creative people are much more interesting that maths and science bores, in fact I can't think anything more boring than discussing maths or science problems. Why would anyone want to do that? I don't get it? I loved English and History at school, but I'd have rather pulled teeth than sit through a mind numbing maths lesson.

I don't think it's true in my case - can't speak for everyone - DH is very practical and has excellent skills and knowledge about finance and so on.

If you want to be more informed then you have to start reading and researching things. It's not hard, Ive always had an enormous thirst for knowledge and have always looked things up if I wanted to find out about something. The Internet makes this easier than ever.

It's not so much about being informed or otherwise but I don't understand quite a lot of stuff I might read (have always been like this) so obviously can't explain it. Read a child's book on the Vietnam war to try to work out what that was about and couldn't understand it. So I have tried.