Oh b*gger ... prehaps the reallytired lazy approach to home work is flawed

[Reallytired]

When my son is set homework I make him sit at the kitchen table for at 20 minutes minutes and I set a cooker timer. I will let him get up from the table earlier if he has completed the work to my satisfaction. He is allowed to ask for help, but I like him to least make an attempt. My son is in year 2, and is usually very good about doing homework, once he has got started.

I make sure he goes to the loo first and if he gets up from the table before the cooker timer goes off or before I say so then he is in trouble. He only gets numeracy and literacy homework once a week. I also look through it to see how much parental input is required.

Anyway he has been role playing with his teddies and saying in a very stern voice. "If you get up from table before this is completed then there is no TV or computer for you." He's scary and I think if I was teddy I would be quaking.

I would be too!

You do sound a little strict but if it works for you and ds... with hindsight, I wish my mother had been a bit stricter about homework so that by the time I was doing exams it would have been second nature.

(I only said 'strict' because he's in Year 2, btw. But my ds is only in Year 1 so what do I know?

Sounds good to me. You are being quite fair. "Get it done and you can go and play", rather than "I'll nag you all evening and you still won't do it", which is my approach!

You sound pretty good to me. It's only once a week, you're letting him get on with it independently rather than hanging over him and encouraging him to get on with something and concentrate.