1-11-15

I have 3 kids and I am so sick of the homework battles every day.  I am tired of the fighting and the whining and the begging.  What can I do to make homework easier on everyone?

We’ve not met a parent yet who hasn’t dealt with the homework battle!  BUT, the good news is you can make it all easier on yourself.  (And for your kids, too, of course!)

Whether your kids have truckloads of homework or not much, it is important for your family to have a Homework Policy. This may include rules for when homework is to be completed, where, and how.  Here are 2 ways to get rid of the battle:

1. Choose a time- that you and your child agree on- for when homework is to be completed.  If you establish rules that must be obeyed, your child will feel no need to argue with you. 
   
   * Rules may be different for different kids, for different subjects, even for different days of the week.  The important thing here is for your kids to be involved in choosing.
   
   * Here are some possibilities: first thing after school, just before or right after dinner, before any TV/ video games, etc. Just make sure that they has time to finish before bed.
   
   

2. Now, write it down or type it up.  Have your kids sign it.  Post it somewhere visible.  

*The next time your kids try to put homework off, you can avoid the back-and-forth.  Just say, “Read your Homework Policy”.  It takes the pressure off you and puts the responsibility back onto them.  And this is where it should be; after all it is their homework, not yours!