Recently my son and I were talking about aptitudes. "I remember," he said, "when I was in the third grade I brought home my report card. Something was said about my grade in math. Mom said, 'Well, I had to work hard in math.' and you said, 'Me, too.' Well, that set me up to be fearful of math. But later I discovered that I had a natural aptitude for numbers."

Parents, take note. Your thoughtless words can set up a child to fear math, English, history, or any other subject. So, think positively, talk positively to your children about all school subjects. It is a sad fact that many highschool graduates cannot balance a check book, use an ATM machine, or do simple arithmetic. And some are math illiterates. The Mathematical Sciences Education Board "believes that parents are the key to helping children improve their math skills and gain confidence that success with math is possible for them." Special Advertising Supplement, PTA, p. 40.

You can help your child be confident about math without being a math whiz yourself. Help your children to see math as an important part of the real world. Share math skills that you use in the kitchen, or shopping at the supermarket. Fractions are easily demonstrated in cooking. Ask your daughter or son to help you get the dinner. Then demonstrate that a ½ cup of water is equivalent to two ¼ cups, that one cup is the same as two ½ cups, or cup plus of a cup is equal to 1 cup, etc. When you go shopping, take a hand calculator along. Ask your son or daughter to enter the prices of each item you select from the shelves. Then, at the check-out counter, ask for the total. (Thus, you will be checking up on the cashier.)

Your daughter can get some practice in percentages by checking on sales. For instance, if a garment is 20 percent off the sticker price, ask her to figure the savings in her head. (Show that 20 percent is the same as 10 percent off--doubled.) "Comparison shopping can teach much about math. Is it cheaper to buy a pair of designer jeans that are 15 percent off the sticker price at one store or at full price at a discount store? Sports can be a spring board for beginning statisticians. As you watch a football game with your child, keep a chart showing the 'stats' on rushing, passing, touchdown points and field goals." Ibid.

Let's say you are driving across country and your kids are bored. You can liven things up and teach some math by providing a map, paper, and pencils. "See if you can figure out how many miles per gallon of gas we are getting. At our last fill up we purchased 18.5 gallons. We traveled 410 miles." Or, "Please check the map and see how many miles it is to Millersville where we plan to stay over night. If we average 50 miles an hour, how long will it take us?"

Recognizing shapes and sizes are valuable math skills. You have a lunch box and you stop for lunch. Ask, "Who can identify the different shapes of items in our lunch box?" For example: sandwich bags are rectangular, your thermos is a cylinder, oranges are a sphere. Your pie is circular, your candy box contains several shapes and sizes.

Provide practice in estimating. Fill a cup with beans. Ask each child to estimate the number of beans in the cup. Have them count the beans and then ask: "If a cup contains 200 beans, how many beans could you get in a quart jar?" These fun exercises show that math is an important aspect of real life. The secret is to make it fun!

There is intense competition for grades in educational institutions-- from grade school through the university. Let's face it. Individual differences are real. Mathematical aptitude is a gift from God. So are mechanical skills. One is no better than the other. I have heard pejorative statements, such as: "He is not college material." This can be like a knife wound to a highschool student. Parents and teachers should recognize and focus on the strengths and assets of each child. Discover the child's natural aptitudes and then encourage him/her in this direction.

Discouragement is the reason many children get failing grades in math or any subject. "Discouragement is the final outcome of a process of testing and trying, of groping and hoping; it is the stage that is reached after one has hoped against hope, tried without expectation of success, and finally given up in despair...The discouraged person cannot perceive the possibility of winning a battle, of ever solving his problems, of finding solutions." Don Dinkmeyer and Rudolf Dreikurs, Encouraging Children to Learn, pp. 35, 34.

Talk to children about natural aptitudes and spiritual gifts. Paul asks, "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?"(1 Cor. 4:7, NIV). All God asks of any of us is to do our best. Not many of us are straight "A" students. Point out that if we are faithful in that which is least, God will give us more talents. So the key is encouragement. "Children need appreciation, sympathy, and encouragement... Children...may fail again and again, and as often need encouragement... Strengthen every good impulse; encourage every noble action." Child Guidance, pp. 141, 263, 264.