A Case Of Arithmetic Blues!

"Mom, if it wasn't for math I would LOVE doing school work!" said my teary eyed 9 year old son after being handed his very first 4th grade math worksheet of the year.    As he unsuccessfully tried to hold back tears I firmly explained to him why math is an important part of life & how even when he's completely finished with school, math will still be a part of his every day life.  Unconvinced, he turned back to his work & proceeded to do it as the tears rolled down his face.
Last year Kyle announced that he didn't like math.  I was (and still am) completely puzzled by his statement because from the time he was in preschool he's always excelled at arithmetic.  At 4 years old he would sit with me outside on the front steps & do simple math.  By the time he entered the 1st grade he was an entire grade level ahead in math.  It's always comes easily for him.  He has no trouble learning new things & rarely makes mistakes.  He has no struggles with Multiplication, Division, Fractions, converting inches into feet, etc etc...yet he does nothing but whine & complain when he has to do it.
I'm pretty sure it's because math requires a lot of thought & takes time to complete.  He prefers to plow through his school work quickly, but can't with math.  He's forced to take his time & concentration.  Often times he struggles with keeping his focus & so it takes him ten times longer than it should to finish a math problem that might be more 'detailed'.
On Monday we will officially start the 4th grade curriculum.  I've already looked through the materials & have noticed that most of the subjects are much more challenging - and lengthy - than last years stuff.  For the most part I think that Kyle will enjoy - and even welcome - being challenged... But I am definitely concerned with how he will react once he sees his new math book.  It's not that I'm worried
 he wont be able to do the work, because he will, but when he sees how many equations are on each page (dozens) he's likely to have a breakdown, haha!
I think I may give my brother-in-law Ed a call.  Ed is a retired math teacher.  Maybe he can talk to Kyle & explain the importance of math or maybe he'll be able to give me a few pointers on how to make it more appealing & fun to Kyle.