Understand what problems your child is facing

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Do you find getting your child to do his homework a daily problem?

If that is so, you are definitely not alone. Almost all parents I spoke to told me they face this problem very commonly too. It is also one of the most common areas that children and parents fight over.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you?

Mother: DS, can you switch off the TV and go and do your homework?

DS: 10 more minutes, mum.

Mother: What?! 10 more minutes? You have been watching for the past hour! Don’t you have homework to do?

DS: yes, yes… But I don’t feel like doing…

Mother: You are such a lazy boy. Switch off the TV and go and do your homework now!

Usually, this method of communication does not solve the problem and only end up in ugly disputes. Parents often think that when their children do not do homework, it is because they are lazy. This is not always true.  Children avoid homework due to different reasons. Therefore if you can ponder deeper to find out the cause of the problem, you will realise that constantly nagging and scolding may not be the correct medicine after all.

For example, when a child avoids homework, it could be due to these reasons:

  1. He studied hard but failed. So he concluded that studying is not for him and it is totally pointless.
  2. He gives up out of frustration. He does not know how to do or where to start.
  3. He is just a poor manager of time. He always pushes his homework till the very last minute.

You see, there can be many reasons for your child avoiding his homework. Therefore I urge every parent to spend time communicating with their children and understand the reasons they have. And whatever the reasons they have for avoiding homework, it is important that it should not be allowed to become a habit, because those bad habits may become part of his working life when he grows up.

Can also be read at Study Grandmaster’s Blog