The Grass is Always Greener, Part 2

So a self-indulgent moment (and apology rolled into one):  Since the last post, I have passed the second of eight major career exams that I am trying to jam into the 2016 calendar year, so I finally have a tiny window of time again to chronicle the mayhem happening daily around me as I try to study.  I may simply get them all to paper (figurative paper, at least) and release them slowly over the next month.  In the meantime, enjoy this sequel...

If you haven't read the earlier aspect of this story, it may help explain a couple things.  It can be found here: http://lifeonkingarthurscourt.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-grass-is-always-greener-part-1.html

Anyways, inspired by Elijah's insecurities about the decline of his supremacy over all aspects of siblinghood, Judah woke up the next day and decided, " Gosh darn it, why should LJ have all the fun?"

And so this happened as I tried to put them to bed that evening:

Elijah:  "Dad, I have a tricky question for you."
Me: "Mmm- hmm."
Elijah: "You're not going to get it."
Me: "What's the question?"
Elijah: "Don't say I didn't warn you -- what's one thousand plus one hundred plus one?"
Me: (immediately): "Eleven hundred and one."
Elijah: "Wow! How'd you do that?"

{Sidebar: this was very really good tactically on his part because quick math in my head is about the only life skill I have left.  He should have challenged me to a memory contest -- I have the attention span of a goldfish at this point in my life, and that's insulting to goldfish -- or a karate contest. However, I was not the only one with a trick up my sleeve...}

Elijah continued, "That's pretty good. Now I'm going to give you a real hard one.  One thousand times one thousand."
Me: A million.
Elijah (not impressed this time): Fine -- did you know that I taught myself 30 times 30?
Me: What?
Elijah: It's nine hundred.
--At this point, I was thankful it was dark so he couldn't see the dumb grin on my face.
Me: How did you do that?
Elijah:  Well, they taught up in class that 3 times 3 is nine.  And I remembered someone told me that when you multiply with zero on the end, you add the zero on the end of the answer.  So I multiplied 3 times 3 and added two zeroes on the end. Nine hundred.
Me: Wow.  So what's thirty times twenty.
Elijah: Six hundred.  And twenty times twenty is four hundred.
Judah: Mmm-hmm.  It's not just LJ learning math -- I have been teaching myself math too.

Poor little fella -- I had been so enthralled with Elijah's conceptual math that I had almost forgotten he was there.

Me: Oh good, Judah.  What have you been learning?

Judah (with no hesitation):  Today in my math books I taught myself that 6 plus 6 is 11, Dad!"

He couldn't have been prouder! (I tried so hard not to howl my way out the door!)

I have a sneaky suspicion that this subling rivalry may never die...