So, I guess it really is possible for a kid to be gifted and occasionally frustratingly dense? I'm waiting for the magical age this all gets easier
Don't tell me it doesn't exist, I need to believe that it does and that it's not too far off!
Others can speak to the 2E aspect, but I can completely understand why your son answered as he did. Now, if you switch to teaching it as subtraction (i.e., you have 12, you take away 2, what do you have) and then he says something other than 10, there might be a second E or something else going on...
But, let me share my conversation with my 5 year old this morning in hopes that you will feel better about literal answers. Me "What's the difference between Book and Look?" (I'm going for the initial sound or letter, because that's what we've been discussing.) Him "they have completely different meanings."
Then he did say, "there are two differences, the meaning and the sound." But he was correct the first time, too.
Oh, our older one is 8. He is still very stubborn about the answers he comes up with and can do some really dense stuff, but I'd say it's far better than when he was 5. On the other hand, now he likes to see what parental buttons he can push to near, but not quite, the limit.
