Anyone else?

I am sitting here, as I type, waiting for my son to finish his math homework. It is 9:12pm. He should be in bed. He has been at these 30 problems for over an hour.

So why you ask?

BECAUSE HE REFUSES TO STAY ON TASK WITHOUT ME SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO HIM THE ENTIRE TIME!

And then when I give up and don't sit by him, because I don't want to be held hostage to 7th grade homework, what does he do?

He tries to do it IN FRONT OF THE TV!

And why you ask, do I let him sit in front of the TV? Because the amount of fighting that would ensue when I turn it off takes up just as much time as letting him sit there with the TV on. It's a no win. Doesn't matter what I do.

Not every night is like this. But some nights, yes. He doesn't get home until almost 5pm after school. By the time he eats something and takes a break to rest a bit, it's 6pm at a minimum, more likely closer to 7pm. And even on a good night he isn't likely to be done with homework until 8:30 or so. It's ridiculous the way homework takes over family life, even for "good" kids.

Homework

My thanks to Jan who commented on my previous post. I appreciate my readers comments and support. I do this so others won't feel alone, and in the process, when someone sends me a comment, it reminds me that I am not alone either!

Jan said she struggled with her own son and the homework issue. Like her, I believe that homework for kids like ours is a complete waste of time. It really is more frustrating than it is worth. Homework in general does, I believe, completely detract from a family's ability to have family time in the evening. I don't even have time to cook dinner! Much less have every one sit down together to get it eaten.

But here is the issue, unless ALL schools realize that homework in general is a waste of time, my son, and all other children, have to learn to manage their homework. I would love for his school to say "This obviously isn't getting him anywhere. Let's just stop the homework requirement." But then what happens when he starts high school. Think they are going to say that. NO!

So I could ask for less, or to have it modified (which they do some), or whatever....but the reality is that homework is a part of life, normal life. And if I want my son to learn to be like everyone else, to be "normal", then he has to learn to do this just like everyone else.

It just might kill me in the process!!!! :)

I cried...

Last night I cried. I cried a lot.

Earlier in the day I had gotten a phone call from my son's teacher about his progress and work he was missing, thus work he would be coming home with. It was a perfectly pleasant conversation.

Then he came home. I had to leave to take my daughter to music lessons and run an errand. We were gone about 2 hours. I spoke to him more than once while I was away. He claimed to be "working" on his homework.

I got home. Basically nothing was completed.

We spent the next 4 hours working and still not getting everything finished.

I sent him to bed with me angry and in despair.

And then I cried, and cried, and cried.