He's got his Father's eyes and his Mother's algebra skills

As mentioned on this blog before, math and I have had a rocky relationship. I try not to talk to my son about it though. He is still young enough that I want him to acquire his own likes and dislikes at school. (So far: He doesn't like music class, but all the rest are fine. That makes sense to me - my son has never been much of a singer.)

But back to math.

In a surprising turn, math ability is somewhat genetic. Yes, really. Parents who have excellent math skills are passing those skills down to their children. Researchers have found a correlation between parental math skill and children who are inherently good with numbers.

Admittedly, more research is needed, as it is difficult to separate out genetics from home environments, but it is a promising idea. I would like to think that just as I enjoy reading with my son at night, that there is a family out there doing word problems together before bedtime.

How were your math skills in school? Tell me in the comments.