I just read an article suggesting a major mind-set change as a parent as a way to stop the homework wars at your home!
It was an intriguing article that reminded me of the days when my daughter was young and my exhusband and I took Love and Logic parenting classes with the idea of helping her become independent, make decisions and experience the natural consequences of those decisions. There was one incident when she was in pre-school and I was tired of fighting with her to get dressed and out the door on time. In collusion with the director of the pre-school who had also studied Love and Logic i brought my 3 year old daughter to school naked except her underpants. Her clothing and shoes were in a bag and it was winter. We left on time without a fight and she never dawdled again.
I really didn't experience such a profound Love & Logic moment again until Reyna was a 7th grader and her math grade was a low D bordering on failing (after spending a summer at Mathnasium). At the parent-teacher conferences in the fall, I learned her low grade was not due to a lack of understanding but rather a lack of turning in the homework she had spent 60-90 minutes doing the night before. It was then I realized I wanted her to have a high grade more than she wanted it herself and that would never work! As a straight A student throughout my lengthy years of education including graduate work, it was tough for me to let go and let her experience the consequences of her actions but it worked (thank goodness 7th grade scores don't count!). She has been on the honor roll ever since that first semester of 7th grade.
The article I read talked about parenting as if you were a consultant rather than your child's manager, and I think that is a vital shift parents today need to make in order to raise fully functioning young adults capable of making decisions and also of bearing the consequences of those decisions. Here is a link to the article entitled, Start Homework Consulting Hours
You might also consider enrolling your child at Mathnasium of Parker. We will not only take math homework off your plate (reducing stress and battles at home because math is one of the big two topics that tend to result in homework meltdowns) and help your child with it, we will simultaneously back-fill pre-requisite knowledge and attend to gaps in understanding so that your child can begin to understand the math they are doing and their confidence in their ability to do math grows. Both of these changes result in fewer battles over math homework in general!
Call us at 303-840-1184 to set up a free assessment and consultation!
