Seriously, I mean the writing is literally on the wall! Elliot’s bedroom wall to be more exact! Giving the boys the freedom to choose how they wanted to decorate their new rooms, Elliot chose whiteboard wall paint as his main design element and I must admit I didn’t think it was all that exciting, after all its basically just another white wall, but it’s his room and it was his choice… Good choice Elliot! Turns out writing on the walls is a fabulous stress reliever! “Why does an 8 year old need a stress reliever?”
TOO MUCH HOMEWORK!
That’s right, Too much homework!!! Three weeks into the new school year and we are doing our best to settle into a routine, but I must admit we are hitting a few road bumps. Balancing the need for play and down time with all the homework is becoming a real challenge in our home. I know I’m not alone here!!
Can I vent for a minute?
Earlier this week my third grader broke down in tears of despair after more than 90 minutes of studying (he wasn’t even done). This was more than heartbreaking, it was unacceptable! I keep thinking what are we doing wrong? Did we miss something? I thought he was right on track in school? What’s worse, is that if I’m privately thinking these things, what must be going through his 8 year old mind?
Recently I attended Back to School Night where we were told that family time, outdoor play and after school activities are paramount to a child’s success. That there is no proof of homework being academically beneficial and it’s more about building a routine, yet it still keeps coming, day after day, pages and pages of it… with no end in sight…… Why?
Knowing there will always be homework, my first priority is to help my little guy find ways to deal with the burdens and stress he feels after long days at school and what seems like a mountain of homework waiting for him. How do I do this? He’s only 8 so It’s not like he can jump on a spin bike, or pour a glass of wine, or any of the other more grown up activities I sometimes engage in when feeling overwhelmed? Okay, often engage in…
Art Graffiti Therapy?
As it turns out Elliot discovered a way all on his own, and it wasn’t an electronic device! The whiteboard wall in his room is more than just a good time! After throwing his pencil down in defeat after the marathon study session I found him tearfully drawing on the wall in his room. I decided to join him and pretty soon all of us were happily writing and drawing on the walls!
The writing is on the wall and I look forward to seeing a lot more of it!
We’re in the dark about so many things before becoming parents. One of them is how your heart literally breaks the first time your child suffers pain of any kind, and each and every time it happens thereafter. I will never forget the first shots, the first time they fell down, or the first time their feelings were hurt at school.
I wasn’t ever sure how to handle it… How should I rip off the bandage? Slow or quick? Should I rip at the count of three, or fib and say I was counting to three, but rip at one? Maybe I should just do it a little bit at a time?
Very quickly I learned that I had literally been clueless about what to expect prior to motherhood. Looking back I had definitely been judging others and felt so smug about how when I was the mom I would do it differently. I would do it right.
