How Math Propelled My Subtle Bonding With My Teenage Daughter (And My Career)
There is something about the unexpected. They stick with you.
I recently met a retired mentor of mine for lunch. He shared something unexpected that perked my interest. His face beamed when he said that his middle age daughter does a book club with him. I felt his whole being sensed a meaning in that bonding.
He said he may have done something right in life, as many of his contemporaries could hardly find something in common with their grown-up kids.
He was grateful for his luck.
Riding back home, I wondered how I involuntarily reacted to his sentiment. As a kid, I enjoyed Math. Never in a million years would I have thought that it would help create awesome memories with my teenage daughter.
Bonds are built on shared passions and when my daughter asked me if I knew how to do the inverse of a matrix on a calculator. I shrugged and nodded my head in the negative- calculators were not the in thing with my teachers. She said, “OK. I will walk you through it.” I protested. She said with a warm smile, “You guide me through math stuff, let me get an opportunity to walk you through stuff.”
There is a joy in learning. There is more joy in learning with your kids. There is even more joy when your…
