[RISU Experience Report] My daughter cried, saying she 'didn't want to return it.' The full record of how a 4th-grade girl who hated math went from that to telling me, 'This is better than you, Mom,' in just two months.

'I don't want to return it.'

When I heard those words, I couldn't believe my ears.

After all, just two months ago, my daughter had a face that said
'I wish math would just disappear from this world'
, and yet, with the return deadline approaching, she was holding the tablet as if she didn't want to let it go.

I'll be honest.
It was 'painful' for me to teach my daughter math.

'Why don't you understand something this simple?'
'I just taught you this!'
'If you don't have the motivation, just quit!'

Before I knew it, our living room had become a 'battlefield' rather than a place for study.
Even though we are considering middle school entrance exams, she couldn't even grasp the basics.

Me, impatient, and my daughter, covering her ears.

Wanting to change that icy relationship, I decided to try the math tablet 'RISU' as a last resort, prompted by a PR opportunity.

'This will probably only last for a little while, too...'

The unexpected words my daughter said to me, who was thinking that.

'This is better than having you teach me, Mom.'

What happened in our home over these two months?
Why did a child who hated studying so much start saying she would 'do it herself'?
I would like to tell you everything in my own words.

My daughter two months ago didn't react like this

At first, she was definitely not enthusiastic.
I could even feel the vibe of 'Another tablet?'
We also had the experience of not being able to keep up with a different tablet curriculum before.
That's why I thought, 'This might only be for the beginning, too.'

Of course, my daughter didn't become a different person in these two months.
She is still easily distracted, and sometimes she suddenly starts singing while doing calculations.

So, this isn't some magical story where
'She suddenly loved studying once she started RISU!'
that I'm telling you.

But, my daughter's"approach to studying"has certainly changed.

Before, when she hit a difficult problem, she would throw it away, saying
'I'm done'
or 'I don't get it.'

However, recently, I've seen her writing equations on a whiteboard, erasing them, and writing them again.
I've started to see her trying things out on her own, saying, 'Maybe it's faster if I calculate from this side.'

So, I decided to ask her the reason why.

"Why don't you want to return this?"

What she wanted more than "stars" or "keys"

At first, the answers my daughter gave were typical for a child.
"I want to keep going."
"I want to collect stars."
"I want to do the special problems."

RISU has many features that children enjoy.
I assumed that must be what was driving her.
That's what I thought at the time.

But after thinking for a moment, my daughter added this.

"...I feel like I can do it on my own."

I was taken aback.

Until now, I hadn't been able to give her the feeling that she could "do it on her own" when it came to studying.
Perhaps my words, meant with good intentions, had been robbing her of that confidence.

Of course, I didn't want to make things difficult for my daughter at the time.
I just wanted her to be able to do it.
That was all.

Why did my daughter feel she could "do it on her own"?

Thinking about why she said that, I realized something later.
RISU wasn't just presenting problems.
By observing how my daughter solved them and her success rate, the AI was gradually adjusting the difficulty of the problems to suit her.

Not too easy.
But within reach if she tried.

Because she was stacking those "little bits more" every day, her "I did it!" moments were increasing little by little.

I believe that behind the words "I did it on my own" that my daughter spoke, there was the magic of this "accumulation of exquisite difficulty."

The "peaceful evenings" I had always wanted

Before I knew it, the way we spent our evenings had changed.

In the past, my sharp voice would ring out with
“That's wrong,”
“Do it again!”
“Why don't you understand?”
and the living room would be filled with a heavy, suffocating atmosphere.

But that day, the living room was surprisingly quiet.

All I could hear was the soft squeak of my daughter's pen on the whiteboard and the occasional small sigh of “Hmm...”

I sat deep in the chair next to her, took a sip of freshly brewed coffee, and checked my emails on my phone.

I suddenly realized that the coffee, which should have been so hot, had gone completely cold.

Usually, I would check the clock every five minutes, feeling anxious in a way I hated myself for, saying,
“How many minutes until bedtime!?”
“Finish it quickly!”

I had even forgotten to look at the clock until the coffee went cold.

I felt the air in the room become soft and light.

That was when I realized it.
What I had actually wanted all along wasn't the right answer to a math problem or a high test score.

It was just a peaceful atmosphere where I could enjoy this cold coffee and think, “This is nice.”

“Doing your best for your child and taking everything on yourself were not the same thing.”

Drinking this cold coffee, I feel like I finally realized that.

Perhaps it was me who needed to be encouraged to be independent.

Hearing my daughter's words, I stood still for a moment.
Perhaps it wasn't my daughter who needed to change, but me.

I had always thought,“doing your best for your child” and “taking everything on yourself” were the same thing.

I have to teach her.
I have to coach her.
I have to fix her weaknesses.

That was how I took everything on myself, became overwhelmed, and ended up lashing out at my daughter with the words, “Go study!” when my emotions overflowed.

When parents teach, emotions inevitably get involved.
A single sigh can hurt a child.

However, a tablet has no emotions.
It doesn't get angry even if you make a mistake.

It just quietly returns the problem to you, saying, 'Let's try thinking about it one more time.'

My daughter can make mistakes as many times as she wants without worrying about my reaction.
She can try as many times as she needs.
And she can reach the 'I did it' moment through her own efforts.

Looking back now, perhaps RISU wasn't just teaching math, but acting as a 'buffer' standing between parent and child.

Instead of me stepping in, RISU faces my daughter.
Because of that, I've been able to let go of the 'teaching parent' role a little bit and have more time to just be a 'watching mother.'

Doing your best for your child and taking everything on yourself are not the same thing.

If I had continued to desperately teach her every day without this 'buffer'...

Not just math, but for my daughter,
'Studying = time spent fighting with Mom'
might have become the reality.

What my daughter might have ended up hating wasn't math, but her time with me.

After middle school entrance exams were over (if she even takes them),
there might have been nothing left between parent and child.

Thinking about it that way, I believe that inserting RISU at that moment and changing our distance just a little bit was truly significant for our family.

Even so, the answer is not yet clear.

Reading this far,

'Everything will go well if you use RISU.'

You might think that.

But to be honest, there are still many things I don't know.

First of all, there are her grades.

There haven't been any changes yet like her deviation score going up in two months or suddenly getting perfect scores on school tests.

"I've become good at math!"

It's not at the stage where I can say that definitively either.

And then, the video lectures.
She still doesn't watch them (laughs).

"It's not interesting."

That's all she says.

As a parent, I think,
"It would be faster if you watched them,"
but she seems to have a strong will about that.

There are also times when I wish the touch pen had a bit better responsiveness.

The calculation space is also narrow, so a whiteboard is still essential in our house.

And, the thing I'm most concerned about is,

whether this learning is truly sticking.

For now, she is continuing happily.

But,
what about in half a year?
A year from now?
When exam preparation gets into full swing?

No one knows that yet.

That is why I

"With RISU, it will definitely be okay."

I cannot say that.

However.

There is one thing that has definitely changed between two months ago and now.

That is the look on my daughter's face when she starts studying.

"I have to do it."

Instead of that,

"Maybe I'll give it a try."

That kind of atmosphere has increased just a little bit.

And I want to continue to watch over that small change with care.

I now realize that I wasn't looking for the "correct teaching material," but rather looking for material that suited my daughter.

Finally,

If there is a mother reading this note right now who is blaming herself, thinking, "I yelled again last night,"

I want to tell you this:

You haven't done anything wrong.

You are thinking of your child's future, sitting at the desk with them until late at night, and trying desperately to find a way to help them.

That is proof of how much you love your child.

But please, just remember this:
"Working hard for your child" and "taking everything on yourself" are not the same thing.

You don't have to carry it all on your own.
Even if you let go of the "teacher" role a little, your child can still walk forward on their own two feet.

RISU was not just a math learning tool.

For me,
it was like a savior that released me from the "curse of having to teach" and allowed me to be a "mom" again.

Middle school entrance exams are a truly long journey.
It's not just about studying.

A child's feelings.
A parent's impatience.
Days that don't go as planned.
Parent-child arguments.

“Will things be okay if we keep going like this?”

Carrying that anxiety, we keep running for years.

Actually, I also experienced middle school entrance exams with my older child.
Thankfully, they were a child with high potential for studying.

Even so, it was tough.
That is exactly why I think this.

If the child is different, the form of the entrance exam can be different too.

The daughter right in front of me now,

is bad at kanji,
is easily distracted,
and starts doing something else as soon as she thinks of it.

Honestly, she is a handful (laughs).

That is why I no longer think about trying to copy someone else's success method exactly as it is.

“What is the method that suits this child?”

I believe that finding that is my role as a parent.

Of course, that takes effort.
Taking out the whiteboard,
researching teaching materials,
and starting over if things don't go well.
I don't want to spare that effort.

But, there is one thing I realized.

Working hard for your child and taking everything on yourself are not the same thing.

Even if I don't desperately teach her, my daughter can move forward on her own.
I can spend that time calmly watching over her by her side.
Because that is surely how we can keep running through a long exam life.

Among those who have read this far,

“But, I wonder if it will suit my child.”

There might be some who thought that.
I was exactly the same at first.

There are teaching materials that didn't last.
There are times when it just cost money and ended.
So this time too, I started half-doubting, thinking, 'It might be the same again.'

That is precisely why I want to tell you this.
What is important is not the reviews.
It is whether that learning material is a good fit for "your child."

Right now, RISU has a one-week trial campaign.
You can let your child actually try it out,

and see if they say, "I want to do this."
Or if they say, "This isn't for me after all."

You can confirm that at home.

At first, I also thought, "They probably won't stick with it anyway."

If it doesn't fit, you can just return it.
Because of that, I think it's easier for people like me—who are interested but hesitant—to take that first step.

That day, my daughter said, "I don't want to return it."
Of course, I don't expect every child to say the same thing.

But if there is even a single moment where your child looks forward and thinks, "Maybe I can do this,"
I believe it is worth trying that opportunity just once.

Finally.

The answer is not in the reviews.
It is in the expression on your child's face right in front of you,
and,
whether your own heart
can feel, "With this, we can keep smiling."

Doing your best for your child and taking everything on by yourself are not the same thing.

Once I realized this, I was finally able to spend peaceful evenings with my daughter.

I sincerely hope that the daily life of you and your precious child

will not be filled with shouting, "Do your work!"

but will instead become a warm time where you can enjoy a cup of coffee, even if it has gone cold.

*You can try out RISU here.

*Click here for my impressions after two weeks of starting RISU.