Homework time stresses me out a little and it's not even ME doing the homework. I think, more than anything, it's the constant "Time to do homework!" line I feel I say a hundred times a day. Followed quickly by "Nope. Not until your homework is done." line.
It's not really hard. Kaylen has 20 minutes of reading to do and Kelton has 20 minutes of reading, spelling words to write and a handful of math problems. All told, it takes about 30 minutes which is exactly where he should be (10 minutes for each grade level). For a long while he was great about coming home and settling right in to work but lately he has been playing the "I need a break. How about if I start in 10 minutes?" which stretches into "How about 5 more minutes?" until I am ready to break out in head to tow body acne from the stress of his negotiation tactics.
I set the timer and even after it rings, he tries to work me. I don't budge but I am sooooooo tired of the begging and trying to get out of doing the work.
And of course, what big brother does, so does little sister.
Sometimes I want to sign off their homework charts just to be done with it but I don't. It's all about being a parent. Not a fun part but a part, none the less.
4 comments:
I hear you on the homework struggles. Conlan is a year ahead of Kelton and it's a struggle.He has a snack and then homework. I have found that letting him play and then homework=disaster.If he does it quietly and no arguments then he earns computer time. If he argues etc then he loses tv time. I don't know if I helped but I really understand the struggle.
Kery
I have to tell you tht I didn't do the honework.....my husband had that role......
I am so not looking forward to this. I'm thinking I should start giving him homework now so he gets in the groove. :) For her reading is she doing the reading for 20min or is it something you do together? and what does that entail? What type of books?
I know this qualifies as unsolicited advice from someone you don't even know, but I'm diving in anyway. Feel free to ignore if it isn't helpful!
Anyway, I ran before and after school programs for years, and part of our afternoon routine included homework time. There is something about 3rd & 4th grade boys that makes the homework time "bargaining" especially challenging. It is like something goes off in their DNA around that age or something! One year when I had an especially challenging time with this I decided to try something new -- I offered to let the kids "buy" extra time by using minutes of their screen time (they were only allowed 30 minutes of non-homework computer time a week). So if they wanted 5 more minutes before starting their homework they could trade it for 5 minutes of their screen time. The bargaining, whining & procrastinating fizzled out fairly quickly once we instituted that policy.
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