After a hectic day at work, you come home evenings to your second job of preparing dinner and doing the chores. While you are occupied, the children are behind the door in their bedrooms “saying” that they are busy doing homework.
Homework in most kids’ minds today also involves surfing the web and chatting online. They might make up excuses that they need to get an assignment from a friend. We were all once their age and definitely know how easy it is to get sidetracked. The internet can be a very scary world that is easily misunderstood by a young mind. With everything else, we now have to find the time to monitor computer usage by our young ones.
The best way for the kids to learn about appropriating the time to get their work done, including chores, is to take them out of their sanctuary and place them in the thick of things. Give them an office like space for them to work, rather than hang out.
Find a niche in the family center of your home to set up a computer workstation. Call it homework central. Kitchens are a great place for this since that is where the family seems to gravitate to. The Family Room is another good area. A computer station can be worked into a wall unit or placed on a desktop, or console, behind a sofa.
You can easily keep an eye on the kid’s online usage while busy with your own duties. They will learn by example, following your lead. Show them that time management for chores and homework is important and should come first. They will learn that their rewards will be more time for friends and games when all responsibilities are completed.
This is not a miracle worker. You will still hear excuses, as they try to procrastinate, but this is a way to keep things in check. Having a central workstation will make it easier on your life and, hopefully, make it a calmer household.
Take a deep breath; remember all parents are tackling the same issues. Take some family time and remind the kids to never be afraid to dance!
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very very clever ! …too bad my kids are almost done with college…..oh well..next generation 🙂
Thank you Sylvie.