Parenting Advice Column

Here is a parenting advice column. The question is from a mother who has not been doing his homework after Christmas. The advice given is reasonable, although it leaves out the most important issues, regarding parental authority, that homework is questionable to begin with, and that it is important to protect the child from unreasonable homework demands and/or consequences, not just to focus on getting the work done. I left this comment to the article:

The word "battle" is your key. You should never be battling your child over homework. It is a sign that something is awry. Observe, don't battle. Try to understand what is going wrong. And operate with an understanding that homework is a questionable practice and that you are the one in charge of your home. I agree that you should set designated homework times, but then make those quiet times for the entire home. Don't do the work for your child but stay in the same space doing something quiet that you like or need to do. And, above all, bring the homework session to a close when the time is up, whether or not the work is done. Allow your child to learn how to use time, not that he has to keep working until it is all done. I offer more suggestions along this line of thinking on my website, www.thehomeworktrap.com.

For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, The Homework Trap, or read his book, The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers.