When Hailey was younger one of our biggest challenges was homework. After work and school there was so much to do that often homework was the last thing we thought about and it would be done in a hurry with no other thought than getting it done so we could go to bed.
When you are a single parent it is hard to make time for everything but our children’s education is so important that we have to make time to let them know how important it is.
I wish I knew where that dream family lives, the one with Mom in the kitchen making dinner while Dad mows that lawn and the kids sit happily at the table and do their homework. Those people have never lived in my house but I wish they could tell me their secret.
There are some things you can do to make homework a little easier. Make the kids feel like everyone is in this together. While they do homework sit at the table and pay bills, work on your taxes, do something work related, clip coupons, clean out your files, anything that lets them know that you have to do “homework” also.
Help if you can, if you can’t find someone who can. Math is not my strong point but there are tons of things online that will allow you to help your child learn a concept. Never underestimate your ability to help your child, you know how your child learns better than anyone and sometimes all it takes is explaining a concept in the way they learn and it clicks.
Let your child show you what he does know. If he can get so far in a problem and then gets stuck, have him show you how he got there, sometimes just talking it out, explaining to another person, is all he will need for it to come together for him.
Make it enjoyable. Don’t turn it into a battle, be as positive as you can be while still insisting the work gets done. The way we communicate can make all the difference. For example, if you say- If you don’t finish your homework you cannot have ice cream, in a voice that lets them know you mean business you’ve opened yourself up for a fight. First, you’ve given them an out, if they don’t want ice cream they don’t have to do their homework, and your tone has inspired your child to push back.
However, if you happily say, as soon as you are finished we can walk to the corner and get an ice cream cone, it becomes a reward, something to look forward to, and you haven’t given him an out.
It’s hard to get rid of all homework battles and making time as a single parent to help with homework is hard, but your child’s education is worth it.