Why is learning to stand back so difficult?

I'm slowly coming to terms with the reality that I can't be a control freak in areas that don't technically involve me.  Madeline is a very smart girl but sometimes it seems that she has difficulty putting her thoughts on paper when doing homework.  I've had many moments over the past two school years where I've just wanted to bang my head on the wall because she knew the answer if she were to say it out loud, but she simply couldn't just get to the point when writing it out. It's the type of thing where I usually swoop in and paraphrase the answer for her a few different ways until she start picking up on what I'm saying and writes it down.  Today as we're nearing the 4th marking period of 2nd grade I've decided that I can't always be her safety net making sure that her answers are text book perfect.  I've tried to take this approach in the past but I get overtaken with control freak mommy impulses that force me to make sure she sends perfect homework into school the next day.  Today I let her answer the question her way.  I think it's possible this kid could have a political career ahead of her.  While she answered the question on her math homework in a way that I supposed could be construed as correct, she also sort of avoided the short and sweet answer that would have been dead on.  It was a question about the calendar year and two 7 year old girls and when their birthdays were.  The question wanted to know who was older and why.  The short and sweet answer is X is older because her birthday comes before Y's birthday.  Instead we get X turns 8 three months before Y's birthday.  I sat there reading her answer and got that feeling I get when I hear a politician dodge a question he doesn't really want to answer.  Maybe I'm reading too much into her method of answering questions.  Poor kid has a mom who's just too picky...but I'm trying my best to let her start doing this on her own.  Bryan reminds me all the time that it's her work and her grade, but I have to admit those As she brings home make me feel pretty good.