Homework

I am excited for the Christmas holiday because it means that the kids won't have homework for 2 whole weeks! Yahoo! One thing I didn't realize before the kids were in school is that homework for kids is homework for parents too. I don't oversee homework but I check it and work on  things that they may be struggling with. The thing that drives me crazy with the kids and their homework is that they are crazy smart but they can be so stinkin' lazy. 

I think my kids will be way smarter than I'll ever be. My oldest is like a walking encyclopedia. When we were driving through the state she was telling me all about the sand hills and the crops they grow there and the history of the area. She will correct us about things and I am always skeptical because the information is coming out of an 8 year old. I always check the google and she is always right. She's a genius. 

My youngest is the same way. This weekend we were driving in the car and there was a billboard that said something to the effect of "can you name 5 types of apples." My husband is sitting there saying, "Red, green, yellow." Fail. I said, "McIntosh, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Pink Ladies...." I could not think of a 5th and my husband and I were racking our brains and we hear the voice of our little 6 year old from the back seat, "Actually, you are forgetting Gala apples. They are kind of red and yellow. They taste very good - they are my favorite." She is a genius. :)

Anyway, my point is - my kids are smart, they retain the things that they learn but they are so darn lazy. I will check my 3rd grader's math homework sometimes and think, "Really?" I will tell her to re-do the problems she got wrong. She huffs and puffs. "Look at the problem. In subtraction there is a little thing called 'borrowing' that is kind of important, remember that?" She laughs. She knows how to do it. I think sometimes she just writes down numbers to be done. If she really put in a lot of effort and truly was lost I would understand but failure to fully read the question does not count. Third grade math homework can be pretty involved. I feel bad because I know that there are some parents who will not be able to help their kids with their homework. That will include me when my kids are in high school. haha.

My youngest breezes through math homework but almost everyday she has to use her spelling words in sentences. She has to use 6 spelling words in sentences. She is smart but she is lazy. Her goal is always to try to cram as many spelling words into one sentence. It doesn't matter if it is completely nonsensical. Some of my favorites that she has come up with are, "I ate a hard, green cloud." "I saw a star in the shape of corn." "I rode on a train that had a brain." Really? I have never seen a hard, green cloud nor have I seen a star in the shape of corn. Did the train actually have a brain or was it carrying a brain in a jar? I say these things to her and she will laugh and she will write a sentence that make sense. It may be argued that I am stifling her sense of creativity but I only care when it is for homework. If she wants to write about trains with brains and stars in the shape on corn on her own time, I am all for it. But otherwise, turn in something that makes sense, you know?

Homework is a good life lesson for kids. It shows them that in life, sometimes you have to do stuff that you really don't want to do. I am a mean, homework checking mom. I admit it....but only for 2 more weeks!