curse you, double digits!

I am aghast that my last post, which was really a shameless non-post, was almost a week ago. But the blog muse has not yet struck me over the head, although my son is doing a bang-up job fulfilling my masochistic needs. We are working on double digit multiplication. I say "we" not because I am one of those bad moms who step in and hover over the kids' worksheets & projects (although I do have to physically restrain myself often). Instead, I make myself available to help with understanding concepts and guide the students in the right direction. Sorry, I was practicing a possible job interview answer there. Doesn't it sound smart? I bet you would hire me...So anyway, as much as I would love to rip the paper from my son's hands and just figure all the fricking problems for him so we could be done, for the love of God, DONE, I do not. I say loving & logical things like, "I can tell you're really frustrated" and "How do you think you can solve that?" Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly endorse the Love & Logic program, but it can be difficult to stay calm and rational when your child is having a nervous breakdown about putting numbers into two rows and then adding them. WHY DOES MATH HAVE TO BE SO COMPLICATED?? That was a quote, by the way. And frankly, I'd like to know the same thing; I'm just not shrieking it through tears and pulling at my hair. Yet.