Talk to me about your sons

[MUM2BLESS]

Hi I am a mum of four b b g b. I grew up with 5 brothers and a sister.

What methods do you use with your boys to ensure they do their home work and stay focuss? I know that boys are physical and like to be out doors etc.

I find that my daughter will read and is very focuss with her work.

What outside activities do they engage in? I know that some boys are on their gadgets for hours. I have to limit my youngest (8) when he goes on the play station. I try to encourage him to read. We have lots of books in the house. I am a childminder (can get up to 30 books out)

what tips can you share, what works for you?

Having dogs has been good with mine. Not just walks but training, tricks, playing in the house and garden etc. Helps them express and develop the softer emotions and a good sob into a floppy ear really takes the sting out of a keenly felt injustice!

THank you for that Arseface.

My youngest like to play football. He kicks things around even in the house. When its time for sleep he sleeps !!

My daughter can be very gentle when she is ready and tough when she needs to be.

I have 5 boys. They live sports and music. I don't mind ferrying them to after school clubs as they get bored very easily, school are good at signing them up to online learning like mathletics & vocab express. They have a computer without Internet ( old pcs) and they spend hours making power points and quizzes. They are allowed 2 hrs of tv after they have done their chores & hwk. They love music and listening to the radio as well. Tbh it sounds alot but I struggle to get them to stay still for 2 long, they don't even like tv that much

Once my boys reached middle school age (9 here) they had to decide what time they would do their homework (ie as soon as they got home, after tea, after swimming) and stick to it.

They did activities every day until I became pregnant this time. Swimming was the best because it bridges the age gap well. They also liked going to the gym and using the exercise equipment. When they were younger I took them to the park for hours after school as they always have loads of energy. Going for long walks over the woods and making camps was also very popular when they were younger.

Now they are 12, 14 & 16 I do leave them to their own devises more, but have to restrict the playstation and computer because when they are in they would spend all their time on them otherwise. They now favour riding their bikes and playing various sports at the park, when I can't take them to the gym or swimming.

They do do homework without too much fuss, but have never put much effort into it really. Just done enough to get by and no more. I have encouraged them over the years to make more effort, but now they are all at secondary school feel the responsibility has to become theirs. If they do rubbish homework/no homework they get lunchtime detention at school to redo it.

Do you find your boys lash out at each other - not proper fighting, just one annoying another and the other retaliating. Thats the end of it usually, it doesn't progress into full blown fights! Do you intervene, ie, no hitting etc, or would you leave it to themselves to sort it if was one pushing one, then the other pushing back, but no blood! And no more!

They don't lash out at each other really. Might push each other around a bit when they are messing around but if one of them gets annoyed or upset by it, the other immediately backs off. There isn't much size differrence between mine though, so each can give as good as he gets.

Sometimes when they get really boisterous in the house I have to tell them to calm down or take it outside, before something gets broken.

Thank you for your comments

I find that the boys like to compete with each other. They do like to play rough sometimes. I don't really like this as sometimes it can lead to someone getting upset.

I guess boys are just physical.

My boys like sports. Will look at what they can do for 2013.

Mum2bless, I am looking at Karate for mine. I like the idea that it's physical as well as disciplined. My ds1 finds it hard to focus for long, and HAS to run around after that or he goes a bit mad. I think 20mins at a time is the longest I expect from him (he's 7, but I know a secondary teacher who says the same thing).

Thank you so much for your comments