I have a confession to make. I hate homework. I hate doing it. I hate helping with it. I hate the mere existence of it. It started in kindergarten, and year by year, it gets worse. I already did 15+ years of it myself. Now, I have many more years of helping my kids with their homework!
Our Nightly Homework Struggle
Math, reading and spelling are my son’s nightly struggle (and mine, too). He gets a worksheet for math, a packet for reading and we work on his upcoming spelling test every night because, like me, he can’t spell.
Luckily for me, he understands his math homework. I’m not sure how he got the answer that he did, but in the end it’s correct! The new math grouping is a lot different than how I learned addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. So I’m thankful he understands it.
Not only does he have his daily assignments, but there are also the special projects and family homework. Family homework? I already went to school, thank you very much!
Don’t get me wrong…I know homework is important, and I like seeing what my son is learning in school, but I’m tired of spending every night fighting about homework. I’m tired of relearning concepts that I’ve forgotten or never learned myself.
Why I Don’t Like Doing Homework
I work, my husband works, we rush home, make dinner and then we do homework. Then it’s bath, bed and we start over the next day. Some nights, family time consists of homework. My son is surprised on the days we say, “You don’t have any homework tonight or at least you don’t have to do it until Sunday.”
I’m the lucky parent that gets to sit down with my son and do the homework. My husband works with children all day, and his patience for them is gone when he gets home, so homework is a constant battle.
We fight and there are tears, some of them mine. Tantrums are thrown, and sometimes homework doesn’t get done! My son already says that he hates learning. What is this going to teach him?
I believe strongly in education, reading and writing. I’m just not sure what worksheets, drills and mandatory nightly homework teaches a six-year-old who has been in class all day already!
Oh, how we wish homework could be fun. My son even started asking, “Alexa, how do you spell the word around?” So he’s trying to have fun with homework but still not wanting to learn.
Nevertheless, it’s important to stick to a regular homework regime. I learned very quickly that he does better when he does homework right away before electronics, dinner or playtime. I’m just hoping that, one day, I’m done doing homework!
Mallory Connelly
Babies & Toddlers
In addition to the time I devote to being a mom, I also work full-time outside the home, which means my day is hardly ever as simple as nine to five. With an all-too-established schedule, as soon as I walk through the door, my day doesn’t end, but rather just begins. It’s a balancing act, especially with two children, but being a mom is one full-time job that I never want to quit!
