Why Make Things Difficult?

It is examination time again.  My daughter and I are faced with scheduled exams before we shall welcome summer.  While Faizah's classmates are buried into tutorial sessions, she was busy skipping ropes at home with cousins and friends.  I have my own long exams, research proposals, and requirements to meet, but I do not want to deprive my daughter of the time when I can assist her in her studies.  So, I called her up to get ready for a review.  

It is a blessing that one of her classmate's mother was very generous to share with Faizah the practice test questions that she had prepared for her son to review on.  Faizah quickly answered the test and handed it back to me for correction.  

When I picked the Language Practice Test papers, Faizah rushed and said "Hmmm...mama, I am sorry if did not tell the truth in the question that asked "When was the last time you ate fried chicken?".

"Well, let me see..." I told her.  Then I  quickly went over the item and to my confusion, I asked her "why, what is wrong with eating fried chicken only last Sunday?"

"Mama, I did not eat fried chicken last Sunday.  I ate fried chicken last Saturday.  But I do not know how to spell Saturday, so I just wrote Sunday there as my answer because it is easy to spell!"

"Uhmmm, I can take that", I told my daughter and secretly smiled at her reasoning.  

So we moved on with the Araling Panlipunan practice test.  Then I was glad to note that she only had two mistakes.  I observed that she was in a hurry answering the practice test for the desire to jump ropes again.

"You are doing very good in Aral Pan, you have only two mistakes", so I declared.

"Then that means you have to buy me steaks!" she replied eagerly.

"There you go! You always have something to ask for whenever you get well in a test...Remember this is not a graded test yet, you will still have to face the school exam tomorrow.  This is just practice, remember!", I retorted.

"Mama, don't be scared! I won't let you buy steaks now...I just said 'then that means you have to buy me steaks' because steaks and mistakes, rhymed! Just relax!".

Wheew! This verbal encounter made me think.  My daughter has taught me a lesson today and that is to keep things easy and to relax - do not make a fuss!  Yes, why should insist on spelling Saturday, when all you know is Sunday?  And why think of other things when what was just said was a way of showing off ones learning?  Tsssk, tsk, tsk...why do i have to make things difficult?