I guess the "abstraction" the parent refers to is the fact that math isn't connected to any specific domain (e.g. history, chemistry, or bio), but instead it is

I guess the "abstraction" the parent refers to is the fact that math isn't connected to any specific domain (e.g. history, chemistry, or bio), but instead it is an all-purpose tool. Also, an equation like a*x+b = c is not something you can touch or otherwise be familiar with from everyday experience. (At first I wanted to reply and say how the procedural math skills you outlined in your comment are not what "real math is like" but then I remembered my high school math classes which consisted of exactly the same topics, taught without much explanations. No wonder everyone hates math...)