There is a point in every family when it's time for the talk. No, not that talk. Not that one either. I'm talking about the science-and-math talk. The kind of talk that should happen every time your child is having trouble or even just working on homework. Most parents, having been through primary school themselves at some point, have a difficult time with this talk. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted through the Intel Corporation, parents are more comfortable talking with their kids about drugs than about science and math.

    Some key points from the survey:

    More than half （53 percent） of parents of teenagers admit that they have trouble helping their children with math and science homework.

    Nearly a quarter of parents （23 percent） who admit to being less involved in their child's math and science education than they would like say their own lack of knowledge in these subjects is a key barrier.

    Another 26 percent of parents who are less involved than they would like wish there were a one-stop shop with materials to refresh their existing, but unused math and science knowledge so they can better help their kids.

    Talking about drugs is easier for parents because it's a vague subject. It doesn't have much depth to it. You can get the message across in just a couple of short sentences, or an example of someones' life gone wrong thanks to the influence of drugs. Not to mention, it's a talk that almost every competent parent has with their child at some point in their lives, right up there with the good ol' sex talk.

    Science and math are not vague subjects. Not only is there extreme depth to be found, but there is commonly a generational gap between the parent and the child. Science and math haven't changed, but the amount of knowledge and the understanding has. We know more as adults than when we were children, but we have to relate to them on a child's level, rather than on an adult-level understanding of the material. This is where it becomes difficult for parents. Shelly Esque, vice president of Intel's corporate-affairs group, explains the challenge:

    Our survey points to a difficult reality for our nation's parents: While they may recognize the importance of math and science, they are unable to engage with their children around these subjects due to limited understanding of the topics and scarcity of resources to help. We need to help parents help their kids make the best choices, including taking math and science courses so they are prepared to succeed.

    Even though 98 percent of parents believe that science and math are critical to the future of the country, and 91 percent believe that parental involvement is key to their children's success, parents are still having trouble talking to their children about science and math. Sure, it's easy to express the importance of the subjects, but when it comes down to actually doing something - that is where we're lacking. Even I have trouble helping with math and science sometimes. Not because I'm not knowledgeable, but because it's hard to transfer my knowledge to that of an 8-year-old.

    The problem is, parents recognize that math and science are critical to their child's future success, but they also realize that speaking to their children about drugs and alcohol is critical to their child's survival. Especially when it comes to talking to teenagers, it's hard enough just saying hello to them, much less trying to connect with them on their schoolwork. So the drug talk is always easier.

    What parents need, and - as the survey data mentioned above shows - they know they need. is help. Normally I'd say that it's all up to the parents, and they should work on the effectiveness without outside intervention.

    However, when a company like Intel is willing to step up and put in the time and resources to come up with solutions to assist parents in connecting with their children on math and science, I'll make an exception. Through its initiatives it's looking to bridge the gap and create tools that parents can use to better understand what their children are working on and what they can do to help. Shelly Esque again:

    Over the past decades, Intel has worked extensively with teachers, students, communities and governments to help inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators with a solid math and science education. We haven't, though, worked with parents, who we think are a critical piece of the education equation. Our goal in releasing the results of this survey is to raise awareness among parents that they aren't alone in their challenges so they feel more confident seeking out assistance to encourage their kids to take an interest in math and science, and we hope resource providers will come forward to help them.

    Parents, take note. When a company like Intel is stepping in to provide a means to assist you in bridging the educational gap with your children, take full advantage. To that point, if you have the resources to help, feel free to do so. While it's important that your kids grow up drug-free and healthy, it's just as important that they grow up educated as well. You can almost guarantee that the less you focus on their education, the more you are going to be focusing on the drug talks.

    每個家庭在討論時間都會有一個中心。不，不是這個。也不是那個。我說的是科學和數學的討論。是每次孩子們在遇到麻煩或甚至只是做家庭作業時的談話。很多家長，一直到小學畢業，自己在某個時候都一個有與此困難時刻的談話。實際上，根據由因特爾公司指導的一個近期調查，家長在跟自己的孩子討論毒品時比討論科學和數學時舒服的多。

    來自調查的幾個關鍵點：

    *半數（53%）以上的青少年家長承認，他們在幫助孩子的數學和科學家庭作業時有困難。

    *近四分之一（23%）的家長承認很少孩子們的數學和科學教育中，他們更愿意說自己缺乏這些方面的知識，這是一個主要障礙。

    *另外26%的家長較少參與，但更希望有一個一站式的可以更新他們現有的而不使用數學和科學知識的材料商品店，那樣他們就可以更好的幫助自己的孩子。

    對于家長來說，談論藥品容易多了，因為這是一個模糊的主題。它沒有太多的深度。你可以從幾句簡短的句子中獲得信息，或者某些人的生命因為毒品的影響而完蛋的例子。更何況，這是一個幾乎每個稱職的家長在某個時候與其一生的孩子都會有的談話，直到有良好關于性的話題。

    科學和數學不是模糊的概念。不光是有極端的深度去挖掘，但通常在家長和孩子之間有一個代溝。科學和數學不會干邊，但是知識的數量和理解力會改變。我們作為成年人比我們還是孩子的時候更加知道，但是我們必須在孩子的水平去聯系它們，而不是站在一個成年人對材料理解的水平。這就是哪里變得對家長困難的原因。SHELLY ESQUE,因特爾公司-事務組的副總裁，解釋了這一難題：

    我們的調查指出了我國家長面臨的一個現實困難：雖然他們認識到數學和科學的重要性，但是他們無力幫助孩子解決這些問題，源于他們對這些主題的有限理解和資源的缺乏。我們有必要幫助家長幫助孩子做出最好的選擇，包括加入數學課堂和科學課堂，以便他們做好成功的準備。

    即使98%的家長相信科學和數學對國家未來是至關重要的，以及91%的家長相信家長的參與是孩子成功的關鍵，但是家長與孩子們談論科學和數學時仍然有困難。當然，這很容易表示出問題的重要性，但是當它涉及到真正做的東西----那就是我們很缺乏。甚至是我有時幫助科學和數學是也有困難。不是因為我不懂，而是因為我很難把我的知識轉達給一個8歲的小孩。

    問題是，家長認識到數學和科學對孩子將來成功的重要性，但是他們也意識到跟孩子們談論毒品和酒精對孩子生存的重要性。特別是當涉及到跟青少年交談，就已經夠難說是打招呼，更要與他們的課業相聯系。因此關于毒品的討論總是相對容易的。

    家長需要的是什么，以及---正如如上所述的調查數據顯示---他們知道他們的需要，就是幫助。通常我會說這全都取決于家長，他們應該有效的工作而不受外界的干擾。

    盡管如此，當類似因特爾的一個公司愿意加強時間和資源來提出解決方案，以協助家長聯同孩子的數學和科學，我將做破例一次。通過其主動性，希望修補差距并創造家長可以用來更好的理解孩子們在做什么和他們作什么可以幫助孩子的工具。SHELLY ESQUE再一次強調說：

    過去的幾十年里，因特爾已經一直與教師，學生，社區和政府部門一起廣泛的用堅實的數學和科學教育激勵和幫助準備了改革創新的下一代。盡管我們沒有同那些我們認為是教育公式關鍵部分的家長們一起工作。我們展開此次調查結果的目的就是引起家長們的注意，他們不是單獨面臨難題的，那樣他們就會感受到更多信心去尋求幫助，鼓勵他們的孩子培養在數學和科學方面的興趣，我們希望資源提供者們能夠前來幫助他們。

    家長們，請注意。當一個想因特爾的公司正在加緊提供方法去幫助建立你和孩子之間的教育橋梁時，請充分利用。為了這一點，如果你有幫助的資源，請隨時這樣做。雖然你的孩子遠離毒品和健康的成長是重要的的，但是他們成長的教育也同樣是非常重要的。你幾乎可以保證，你越少關注他們的教育，你就越多的關注毒品的討論。