Working parents, how do you help your child with homework?

[Chenonceau]

mwchua, you have PM.

[RRMummy]

Hi all,


I'm also those with the precious 1+ hour daily.. also guilty of being the banshee.. so depressed... :imdrowning:

[Funz]

:hugs: RRmummy.


We just try our best. The first round of topical tests are happening now. Will see how DD fares. From there we will see if we need to tighten the screws or continue as is.

[Sun_2010]

RRMummy:

Hi all,


I'm also those with the precious 1+ hour daily.. also guilty of being the banshee.. so depressed... :imdrowning:

:snuggles:

I had my moments to. Its ok , next time lets reduce a little bit... one step at a time...

[MMM]

Seeing some of the postings on screaming, losing patience makes me feel that I am not alone.


Yes for a working parent, after a day long at work, it's really challenging to keep our cool in the evening. I personally get triggered off if I realised that they spent the day watching tv iso doing their homework, never put in effort or displaying bad attitude towards studying/ work. This will make me :mad: :rant: :spank: :stompfeet: :frustrated:

We've 3 kids. P5, P4 and P1. To the forumner who started this thread, with your eldest at P1, this is just the beginning. I always tell friends to enjoy their \"honeymoon\" period when kids are in preschool or still young. I wonder when my honeymoon period will come :? When they are in secondary school and it's beyond me to guide???

This is what we do since my eldest was in P2. We try to be home by 7pm on weekdays. My p4 and p5 are in morning session, so I expect them to finish their homework, etc... before we come back (I find it effective if I list down the deliverables each day). So in the night, this is for homework that are still unfinished, testing of spelling or for exams revision especially when it is near CA/ SA. As we are not early sleepers and my morning session kids do take naps, we usually end at 10pm. There are bad days when they watched tv and slept for a long time, no work is done and there are alot of work to be done. I will get really :stompfeet:

Meanwhile for my P1, she is in afternoon session, back by 7pm. So she would also have to start work at 7.30pm. As I am not home during day time, morning is her free time. So far, there is minimal homework from school. But time are spent on tingxie, spelling, doing enrichment classes homework (english, maths and chinese) and also trying to practise piano. I started to engage my P1 in the same schedule since she was K2 so this is not new to her.

I recalled when we first started, there was a huge adjustment for all our us. Instead of sitting down to watch tv or going for dinner and shopping after work, we've to be discipline to ensure we come back by 7pm to coach the kids. 3 years down the road, we are sort of used to it. There are alot of sacrifice too. I chose to stay on my current role as it provides me the work life balance i needed. This means giving up promotional opportunities. We can only have our getaways during school holidays. We need to plan business trip sensibly so as not to clash. I would usually travel after exams/ during holidays.

I saw another posting on engaging enrichment classes to help to coach. But personally, to ensure the effective of the classes, we actually need to spend time to coach the kids on enrichment classes stuff. So it's like added stress as we need to manage school cum enrichment classes homework. That sometimes.... i wonder if we really have time to revise.

So life is really hectic and I missed the school holidays. At least for me, my night time are dedicated to them. Sometimes, I may be doing my work in the same room but I make my presence felt while they do their own work. When there are pressing datelines, dh has to put aside his ipad and help out as well as I cannot possibly manage 3....

I think you need to split responsibilities with spouse otherwise you will go nuts especially when you have more than 1 kid.

[Funz]

I have 2 kids. Last 2 years were honeymoon period as only DD was in Pr sch. DS was still in full day childcare. This year with 2 of them in Pr sch and both morning session, they can be each other's study companion or distraction.


DH is travelling almost every week, Mondays - Thursdays so I am single mum until the weekends. Kids are expected to finish their homework and starting this week I gave them additional work as I find that they have too much free time.

We have CCTV at home and I can log into the network to see what they are up to. If I see them glued to the tv, their ipods will start buzzing. :evil: That is me facetiming them. Immediately they will turn off the TV, run into the room b4 anwering my facetime call.

So far, that has kept them on schedule. Quality of work, though, is another story lah.

[RRMummy]

Funz:

:hugs: RRmummy.


We just try our best. The first round of topical tests are happening now. Will see how DD fares. From there we will see if we need to tighten the screws or continue as is.

Thanks Funz!! I needed that..

All the best to you.

[RRMummy]

Sun_2010:

RRMummy:

Hi all,


I'm also those with the precious 1+ hour daily.. also guilty of being the banshee.. so depressed... :imdrowning:

:snuggles:

I had my moments to. Its ok , next time lets reduce a little bit... one step at a time...

Thanks Sun_2010. I sure needed that..

I've been advised to \"unable' myself so that DDs can 'enable' themselves more... I need my sanity... :gloomy:

[fuchsia]

Dear parents, glad to see that "we are not alone". The time table that I gave my DD at the beginning of the year has been “thrown out the window”. Nowadays, I just write down what she needs to do during the day (her school has no homework, so I give her a few pages of assessment to do every day, she is supposed to go over any spelling or ting xie if there is any for the next day, practice piano, then play time at the playground, wash up, watch TV and night times are for reading). But … because I am not around during the day, sometimes, she plays first and does the work later (ie just after her dinner – rushing to finish before I come home from work to check). Practising the piano also not consistent. I don’t “coach” her in anything, as I think she is fairly bright. Her reading is probably P3 level. If she doesn’t understand from the assessment books I will go over with her during the weekend. But still feels scary when I compare notes with other SAHM moms (DD’s friends’ moms from her previous kindergarten) as they have the time to coach their kids (eg help them on methods to solve maths problem sums (eg heuristics)). They are so bent on going all out to help their kids in school work or getting them way ahead in their class. But that’s because they also have the time to do so. So I wonder whether my relatively "hands off" approach (for now) is appropriate.

[wanderlust-alm]

Hi all,


I am also a working mummy w 3 kids - P1, K1 & N1. I am glad that we are not alone in finding difficulty to carve out time for our kids to help them in their school work. My daily routine is reach home at 7 , dinner ( 1 hr - i wish my kids will finish dinner faster but dinner will always stretch for an hour ). shower and get ready for study ( 20 mins ) leaving me only about 45mins to max 1 hr to go through DS1 work and revision. Sometimes also need to squeeze in computer time ( his school ask n learn portal ) story time, spelling time, ting xie time, enrichment homework time. Monday night english enrichment, Thursday swimming and sat Chinese enrichment.
School standard is so high that although i start my DS1 at phonics in mid K1 he still has to attend the LSP ( learning support programme at school ). I was shocked as i thought he is reading ok although not fantastic but i realse that kids are in much higher standard than him in current times and now i am trying to spend more reading/english time with him and looking into another enrichment centre for him
It is really a mad rush for time every night and I still have 2 younger kids to handle so all 3 including the N1 DD will now also sit down to doodle and draw in the study room .

I always thought i will not be a KS mummy but i guess when you are in there you have little choice and may need to join in the rat race.