Alice in Mathland
A parenting analogy
Being a parent is very often like a math problem with many brackets. Something like 5+(2x2+(2x(3+2)))+4. It’s not that complicated when you are looking at it as a whole like you are doing now. You can analyze the whole expression and understand where to start — from the deepest bracket, of course.
But imagine being inside that expression, and seeing just one operation at a time. You’re Alice in Mathland.
All you see is 5 at first, then you see a +2 coming at you, so you deal with (it’s 7), but then an x2 flies in out of nowhere.
“Oh, crap,” you think, “I need to multiple 2 by 2, then add 5.” When all of a sudden…
ANOTHER BRACKET???
Jeez, can I finish 2x2+5, please?!
Those numbers are like jabs children throw at us one after another before we are able to deal with the previous blow.
Here is one typical setting: cooking breakfast.
You’re making eggs, making coffee, and porridge for the youngest one.
“Daddy, I want a banana.” (a bracket opens)
You lean over to get the banana and start peeling it…
“Aaaaaaaaah, she won’t give me the squeaky fox, ahhhhhh,” your youngest delight is screaming like his heart is being scooped out of him and runs towards you. (another bracket opens).
You leave the banana. You give him a hug (you closed this bracket quickly).
“Tsssss…” — the dreaded sound of boiling milk running over. (You guessed it right, another bracket…)
“Argh!!!”
“Daddy, I want a banana.” (this bracket is still open 🙄).
“Wait! Look at this mess!”
You deal with the spilled burnt milk, scrubbing it off quickly before it gets stuck forever.
You realize you need to add more water to the coffee filter (because you’re an aficionado and only drink the Vietnamese drip, mind you).
You leave the scrubbing, pick up the kettle, pour more water in. (You opened and closed this bracket pretty quickly).
Now, where were we? Oh, the banana. There’s your banana! Uff, closed that first bracket. Jeez, I still need to finish scrubbing off the milky mess and finish the porridge!
How are the eggs, by the way? Not burnt. Yes! Daddy knows too well to cook eggs at low heat.
“Ok, I need to close this burnt milk bracket and continue with the porridge.”
10 minutes later, with several more levels of brackets opened and closed, the porridge is ready, the eggs are served, the coffee smell is intoxicating, and you can’t wait to sit down and take that first ultra-delicious sip of it, hoping you can have breakfast without more multi-bracket children math.
