Yesterday we had The Boy’s first parent teacher conference in his new school. His math teacher complimented him on his problem solving skills. I almost laughed in her face.

This is the type of problem she was referring to:

Mary has 4 apples more than John. John has twice as many apple as Bob. Bob has 2 apples. How many apples does Mary have?

You have enough information to figure out how many apples Mary has. Go!

This is the type of problem we are used to dealing with:

The boy is stuck in bed.  Why?

That’s it. You may, if you ask the right question at the right time, get more information, but you may not. At no point should you jump to any conclusions, and don’t try to suggest solutions. Go!