Homework Blues

Julia was really frustrated over her math homework this evening, as evidenced by multiple outbursts that came from her bedroom.

JULIA: (from behind her bedroom door) MRAAAAAAAGGGHHH!
ME: What's wrong?
JULIA: (stomping out from her bedroom, getting a piece of printer paper, and stomping back into her room, slamming the door.)

A few minutes later, I had dinner on the table.

ME: (calling through Julia's door) Julia?  I have dinner for you.
JULIA: I *can't* eat dinner right now!
ME: Um.  Okay.

A few minutes later...

JULIA: (from behind her bedroom door) MRAAAAAGGGHHH!
ME: Julia.  Come here!
JULIA: (stomping out of her bedroom, grabbing her dinner plate, and stomping back to her bedroom)
ME: What's wrong??
JULIA: I'm QUITTING MATH FOREVER!

A few minutes later...

JULIA: (stomping out from her bedroom to put her empty plate in the sink and slice a piece of bread)
MRAAAAGGGHHH!
ME: What?
JULIA: I can't cut my bread.  I'm TOO DUMB TO DO ANYTHING!

I sliced her bread and brought it to her.

ME: Can I help you with your math?
JULIA: You DON'T KNOW HOW.

I decided to give it a valiant try, however.

ME: Okay, what's wrong?
JULIA: I have to do this WHOLE PAGE OVER because you're supposed to figure out the answer to the question and my answer made NO SENSE. I got "SPORD MULG."

I helped her work through each math problem.  Each time she solved a problem, she had to locate the correct answer on the side column of the page, and cross out the letter next to that answer.  At the end, the remaining letters would answer the question: "What is the saddest candy in the world?"

We weren't even finished when I was able to look at the remaining letters and deduce that the answer would be "GLUM DROPS."

ME: Julia, take a look at the letters left and see if you know what the answer is.
JULIA: (looking from top to bottom, rather than turning the page so the letters faced the correct way, left to right) S, P, O, R, D-
ME: No, honey, look at them in the order that you read letters.  Turn the paper sideways.
JULIA: G-O-L-U-M D-R-O-P-S...oh.  So wait, that was a total waste to do this whole page over, because I had the right letters already.

Yes, that's right.  Julia was ONE question away (the question that would eliminate the letter "O" from the answer) when she realized she'd actually gotten all the correct answers and then erased them, because she wrote them in backwards order.

Good thing she had a massive melt-down over all that.