Headstrong Hundreds

If Peyton was upset when she was little she'd throw herself down and head butt the floor.  Even if the floor was a concrete slab.  Our pediatrician wasn't concerned when I asked her about it.  She told me, "She's not going to be anyone's doormat.  Count yourself lucky.  Some kids smear their feces." Ew.

Last week I was in Peyton's classroom and a classmate of hers told me that "she's a little bit mean." I asked her what Peyton had done.  She just repeated "she's a little bit mean."  I explained that if Peyton knew what she'd done maybe she should apologize.  Again, her classmate told me just that "she's a little bit mean."  Alrighty, then.  I asked Peyton.  Genuinely clueless.  So I asked Peytie's teacher if she's being mean to this particular kid and she answered, "Peyton isn't mean to anyone.  And she takes guff from no one." Ah. Okay.

Tonight, this:

"Mom, I have 100 and another 100.  How much is that?"

"200."

"No, you don't understand.  I have 100 plus 100.  How much is that?"

"200."

"Moooooommeeeeeeeeeey! You don't know what I meeeeeean. I have 100 and 100.  How much is that?"

"Babe.  I'm sorry.  It's 200."

"MOMMY! YOU DON'T GET WHAT I MEAN!  I DON'T MEAN 100 PLUS 2 MORE.  I MEAN 100 MORE!"

"Yeah.  I got that. 100 plus two more is actually 102.  100 plus another 100 is two hundred."  I went and got base ten pieces to show her. "See?"  100 and 100.  200.

(grabbing the pieces from me) "No!  Mommy!  Look! 1, 2, 3, 4..........(deep breathing from me)...........98, 99, 100.  See? And if I have both of these (holding two AT me in desperation) how much is that?

At this point I'm trying so hard to stifle my giggles because the only thing I know for sure is what she DOES NOT want to hear and frankly, I got nothin' else.  Also, I spent all day with 27 kids who were converting fractions to decimals and percents before putting them in order.  Many of them didn't try to understand fractions AT ALL so it's not lost on me that I should be ecstatic that Peyton wants so desperately to understand this. She's hungry for it.  She's going out-of-her-mind to try to get it. It's the sort of grit I beg my students to have.  And then, (again)

"200."

"Mommy!!! Look! 1, 2, 3, 4, ......(Oh. Em. Jee., not again).........97, 98, 99, 100."

"Yes."

"101, 102, 103, 104, .........(we're really doing this.  With a significant amount of help this time)................196, 197, 198, one hundred ninety-niiiiiiiiiine.............."

"200."

"MOMMY!"

"Alrighty. Bedtime."

(sobs) "I JUST WANT TO SNUGGLE WITH YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!"

"That I can do."