Homework Advice – Beyond The Obvious

I read a good article this morning from Michele Borba, a parenting expert and I want to emphasize one of her points:

Secrets to Ending Homework Battles

Let me be a spoiler right away and tell you that there are no “secrets” in this article, but some really good stuff to keep in mind:

Insist homework be her responsibility not yours

I really like this one, but the question is: Who am I trying to convince that the homework is her responsibility?  We tend to get into the trap of trying to convince the child, instead of convincing ourselves. “It’s not MY homework, It’s not MY homework” should be a mantra we tell ourselves, instead of trying to convince our kids of this.

Consider a getting a tutor

This is advice that I know a ton of well meaning parents don’t like. “Why should I hire someone to do something I should be doing?  It’s not like I don’t understand fractions.”  The problem is that for most of us, it’s really hard to stay calm and focused when it’s our own child. There are so many emotions tied up in the parent/child bond that sometimes it’s hard for both people to struggle through homework.  For more information, check out my book: Homework – A Parent’s Guide To Helping Out Without Freaking Out!