Say, Whaaaaatttt?

If you know Ryan, you probably also know that he doesn't have an appreciation for math at this point. His feelings actually run much stronger than that, but I'll leave it at that. Whenever he is doing math homework (his dedication to getting it all done at school comes in spurts) his mind wanders far from where it should be. He will try to strike up conversation with anyone in earshot, and you'll hear him say something like this, "Hey, mom! Ya know what?" Then you have to wait for a few seconds while he thinks of something non-essential to say before refocusing his attention to math.
Yesterday was one of "those" days, and he was sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey, mom," I heard him say, "I wonder how hot it is in outer space." I doubt he was really all that concerned about the temperature levels of the great universe, but was more likely not wanting to do the 3 digit multiplication problems that all A.C.E. students have grown to "appreciate".
A little later I was in the kitchen working and he had migrated to the living room. I'm not sure what he was doing, but again I heard, "Hey, mom, how long is our house...in inches?" Ummmm, wait a minute, son, I think I have that piece of information tucked away in my brain right behind my menu for this evenings' dinner.
I hate admitting to my kids when I don't know the answer to their questions. Evan has a knack for pulling some totally unrelated facts about something such as an exotic plant of which I have never heard, and then quizzing me about it. When I reply with, "Never hear of it, Evan," he gently reminds me that I did the same exact schoolwork at some point in my life and that means I should know all about it. Wow.
So, if you ever get to the point where you feel like little miss smartypants, just talk to your kids. They'll make sure you realize everything you don't know and then some!
And just for the fun of it, I'm going to look up the dimensions of our house online, and then make a couple of conversions. By the end of the school day, Ryan will know the length of our house...in inches. I'm sure that data is much more important than 3 digit multiplication problems anyway. :)