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.

每个家庭在讨论时间都会有一个中心。不，不是这个。也不是那个。我说的是科学和数学的讨论。是每次孩子们在遇到麻烦或甚至只是做家庭作业时的谈话。很多家长，一直到小学毕业，自己在某个时候都一个有与此困难时刻的谈话。实际上，根据由因特尔公司指导的一个近期调查，家长在跟自己的孩子讨论毒品时比讨论科学和数学时舒服的多。

来自调查的几个关键点：

*半数（53%）以上的青少年家长承认，他们在帮助孩子的数学和科学家庭作业时有困难。

*近四分之一（23%）的家长承认很少孩子们的数学和科学教育中，他们更愿意说自己缺乏这些方面的知识，这是一个主要障碍。

*另外26%的家长较少参与，但更希望有一个一站式的可以更新他们现有的而不使用数学和科学知识的材料商品店，那样他们就可以更好的帮助自己的孩子。

对于家长来说，谈论药品容易多了，因为这是一个模糊的主题。它没有太多的深度。你可以从几句简短的句子中获得信息，或者某些人的生命因为毒品的影响而完蛋的例子。更何况，这是一个几乎每个称职的家长在某个时候与其一生的孩子都会有的谈话，直到有良好关于性的话题。

科学和数学不是模糊的概念。不光是有极端的深度去挖掘，但通常在家长和孩子之间有一个代沟。科学和数学不会干边，但是知识的数量和理解力会改变。我们作为成年人比我们还是孩子的时候更加知道，但是我们必须在孩子的水平去联系它们，而不是站在一个成年人对材料理解的水平。这就是哪里变得对家长困难的原因。SHELLY ESQUE,因特尔公司-事务组的副总裁，解释了这一难题：

我们的调查指出了我国家长面临的一个现实困难：虽然他们认识到数学和科学的重要性，但是他们无力帮助孩子解决这些问题，源于他们对这些主题的有限理解和资源的缺乏。我们有必要帮助家长帮助孩子做出最好的选择，包括加入数学课堂和科学课堂，以便他们做好成功的准备。

即使98%的家长相信科学和数学对国家未来是至关重要的，以及91%的家长相信家长的参与是孩子成功的关键，但是家长与孩子们谈论科学和数学时仍然有困难。当然，这很容易表示出问题的重要性，但是当它涉及到真正做的东西----那就是我们很缺乏。甚至是我有时帮助科学和数学是也有困难。不是因为我不懂，而是因为我很难把我的知识转达给一个8岁的小孩。

问题是，家长认识到数学和科学对孩子将来成功的重要性，但是他们也意识到跟孩子们谈论毒品和酒精对孩子生存的重要性。特别是当涉及到跟青少年交谈，就已经够难说是打招呼，更要与他们的课业相联系。因此关于毒品的讨论总是相对容易的。

家长需要的是什么，以及---正如如上所述的调查数据显示---他们知道他们的需要，就是帮助。通常我会说这全都取决于家长，他们应该有效的工作而不受外界的干扰。

尽管如此，当类似因特尔的一个公司愿意加强时间和资源来提出解决方案，以协助家长联同孩子的数学和科学，我将做破例一次。通过其主动性，希望修补差距并创造家长可以用来更好的理解孩子们在做什么和他们作什么可以帮助孩子的工具。SHELLY ESQUE再一次强调说：

过去的几十年里，因特尔已经一直与教师，学生，社区和政府部门一起广泛的用坚实的数学和科学教育激励和帮助准备了改革创新的下一代。尽管我们没有同那些我们认为是教育公式关键部分的家长们一起工作。我们展开此次调查结果的目的就是引起家长们的注意，他们不是单独面临难题的，那样他们就会感受到更多信心去寻求帮助，鼓励他们的孩子培养在数学和科学方面的兴趣，我们希望资源提供者们能够前来帮助他们。

家长们，请注意。当一个想因特尔的公司正在加紧提供方法去帮助建立你和孩子之间的教育桥梁时，请充分利用。为了这一点，如果你有帮助的资源，请随时这样做。虽然你的孩子远离毒品和健康的成长是重要的的，但是他们成长的教育也同样是非常重要的。你几乎可以保证，你越少关注他们的教育，你就越多的关注毒品的讨论。