In a viral video, a mom of three explains “mom math,” the backwards calculations she has to do before going anywhere with her kids in tow—and it’s so relatable
If you’ve been on any kind of social media lately, you’ve probably heard of “girl math.” But thanks to one mom of three, there’s a new viral calculation: “mom math.” And if you’ve ever tried to go anywhere with kids, it’s going to be very familiar to you.
A mom of a 4-year-old, 2-year-old, and 2-month-old, who posts to the Instagram account @chaoswitherica, came up with the concept, which is now wracking up views because it’s just so relatable.
“Let’s say we need to be somewhere at 9 a.m.,” she explains, and then she launches into the complex calculations that make up mom math. “If we are pulling out of the driveway at 8:40 we may be loading up at 8:30, if we are loading up at 8:30 that means we need to have shoes on by 8:20. If we’re getting shoes on at 8:20, my kids take forever to eat, so we should be eating breakfast by 7:15, and getting dressed. So if we are getting shoes on at 8:20, that means she will need to be fed sometime before (motioning to her baby) so I should probably be feeding her around 7:45 so she’s happy for the drive. That means breakfast is at 7:15 and while they’re eating breakfast and playing they can feed her at 7:45.”
This mom barely stops to take a breath as she rattles all this off. Oh, and in case you didn’t notice, “mom math” has very little to do with moms—there’s nary a mention of a shower or even a cup of coffee in there because it’s all about getting the kids ready.
“It’s this mental backwards math you have to do any single time you want to go someplace — counting naps, counting snacks, counting parties, getting ready. Mom Math,” she says.
Whew, we feel that. It sure is less fun than girl math, which has rules like, “If you buy it with cash or money in your Venmo account, it’s free.” But it’s still something moms can rally behind because we all know that mom math is very, very real.
