Uggh Homework

I shudder when I hear...

“Mommy, will you help me with my homework?”

With each child the shudder was/is for different reasons.

CARMEN:

Carmen was reading fluently in two languages before she completed Grade 1.  My grammar is virtually non-existent.  (I have forgotten everything that I learned at school.) 

I keep promising myself that I am going to take a course in grammar and I did a few weeks ago but I have forgotten it all again.

Carmen would call me and ask me questions on inexpressive inappropriate pronouns in the third case.  She could just as well have been speaking Greek.

“I don’t know” was the wrong answer.

She would then rant about how she was going to fail and if I did not know how was she supposed to know?

Maths was another nightmare with Carmen.  There is nothing wrong with her math ability except perception she is convinced she cannot do it.  She gets the concepts well and she understand quickly but with the slightest difficulty she would fall to the floor and groan that she cannot do it.

RAEWYN:

Raewyn would tell me that she could not do her homework and get me to show her by doing her work.  I would end up doing all her homework for her.

I would also be asked to help while driving her to school it is rather hard to concentrate on homework while travelling through rush hour traffic. 

JESSICA:

As Carmen and Raewyn have left home, Jess and I are doing the final homework dance.

Jess has the modern way of doing homework.  She is on BBM with her friends asking for advice and help.  I get asked to help with some. 

When it comes to maths I try to explain calmly and carefully, then I start drawing pictures and then I start using props such as fruit, pencils anything that is close.

Then I start shouting and jabbing my pen down hard on the paper.  At this stage Jess storms off to her room and I storm off to Michael and complain about her not wanting to learn.

 Invariably somebody else will teach Jess the same thing in 5 minutes with ease.

While I am not looking forward to my baby leaving the nest the end of homework is something to look forward to.