Good Parenting: Linking School with Reality

Do you involve your kids in mundane tasks, like grocery shopping?

Here is how I made a simply grocery shop into a fun math lesson.

The shopping aisle is towering over us as we walk towards the laundry detergent area. I'm with my youngest son, and he's struggled with math homework this week.

I always include my boys in the household chores, whether it's tidying, cleaning, cooking or even grocery shopping. My husband and I take turns to have our boys on their own, so they get "alone time with mommy or daddy." It's always a firm favorite when we divide and "conquer" the kids, and also a time to tackle any worries they might have. Having one on one time has been a life-saver for us.

My son has found addition hard this week at school, and so I brought him with me to do our grocery shopping. Our family had planned our dinners and lunches for the week and we had a list to shop from.

Yes, I learned that lesson quickly. Shopping without a list and kids in tow, is a big no because you end up buying the entire store. Especially with Halloween coming up. There are too many offers. If it's not on the list - we don't buy it, and mommy's purse is safe from over-spending.

We needed laundry detergent, and I lead my son down the aisle where they are kept. My son looks at me and then at the different bottles and boxes standing in neat lines before us.

"Mommy, there are so many. How do you know which one to buy?"

Good question. I praise him and explain about bargains and branding. He listens to my words and picks up the two bottles I point at. One is a renowned brand with a big red sticker on it. The other is a lower priced brand, but comes in a wider but smaller bottle. It's not as well-known but the one I tend to buy because it's laundry detergent. The prices look similar but they are different. My son doesn't know which detergent I usually buy, and I ask him for his opinion.

I nod at my son and say: "Which detergent do you think is the cheapest?" The big bottle or the smaller one. He looks at the price tags and compare the two. I can see him doing the math in his head and counting on his fingers. After a minute, he points to the lower brand bottle and I nod. He beams at me.

My son has worked out that it's not the stickers on the bottle, or the fancy branding. It's about how many washes I can do, before I need to buy a new detergent. Since I do laundry most days, we can go through lots of detergent in a week, and it all adds up.

I'm sure many families count the cost in grocery stores and choose less-known brands right now. Prices have increased and we are all feeling it.

"More, I want to check another one!" My son is skipping to the toothpaste.

We end up going round the store checking three more items before he's had enough. When we exit the store after purchasing everything on the list, I say to him:

"What we just did in there was math, and you did great."

"Really, that's math, but I thought math was just something we had to do in school."

"No." I said. "Math is everywhere and you need it when you grow older. because one day you will have your own grocery list. Mommy does math all the time, and today you showed me that you can do it too."

The smile on his face was radiant. A big toothless grin and it warmed my heart.

"I love you, mommy." And we hugged in the middle of the busy parking lot.

"I love you too."

It was a normal day, but a learning opportunity. My son connected school math with "life." It's in the daily chores that we can make such a difference for our children. We need to teach them life lessons and help them to be responsible about money. Being aware of the pitfalls in grocery shopping is one thing.

Next week, we are buying a new lawn mower. That is going to be a family affair since it's a big purchase. My oldest son wants a ride-on mower whereas me and my husband know that we need one that cuts our lawn without costing a second mortgage. We'll see what happens next weekend.

Wish me luck!

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