Does getting your kid to study feel like pulling teeth? Do you bite your tongue to stop yourself from admitting they’re right when they scream “It’s boring” and “I don’t want to do it!” Studying is simply no fun. But if they want to pass their tests and earn better grades you know they’re capable of, they have to do it. If you have a child who has all the potential in the world but struggles with test taking, it probably has nothing to do with their intelligence. It might be that they never learned the right strategies for studying effectively. So here are six of the best studying tips for … [Read more...]
Forgotten Homework: Come to the Rescue or Teach a Lesson?
I’m sitting at my kitchen table, cleaning up breakfast dishes when I see it -- my daughter’s math notebook. There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach. You see, she’s at school right now. She left her homework at home. She can be disorganized at times, and she also gets very afraid and nervous if she doesn’t have her homework turned in on time. I could solve this problem for her and take her the homework she left behind. I’m going to be driving right by her school in a few minutes anyway. It wouldn’t be that much of an inconvenience for me. It would calm her down and make her feel way less … [Read more...]
Raising Tweens, Teens with Wisdom from Dads Who Have Done It
You finally master diaper changes, swaddling and burping then you turn around and -- WHAM! Now you have to conquer the art of raising tweens and teens. We have five City Dads Group members on the new Modern Dads Podcast who will put you a little more at ease by sharing their tales of raising tweens and teens in today's crazy world. City Dads columnist Whit Honea, a member of our L.A. Dads Group and the author of The Parents' Phrase Book, discusses dealing with the excessive homework his 11-year old son receives from one of his teachers. City Dads columnist Seth Taylor, a … [Read more...]
Home is Not for Homework – Ban It!
Editor's Note: A recent American Journal of Family Therapy concluded that schools may be demanding children do far more homework than is generally recommended. L.A. Dads Group member Whit Honea weighs in on whether school should ban homework. I must admit, I am not a fan of homework. My wife isn’t either, and our kids love that about us. It’s not that we have issue with the needs of education, far from it. We have devoted our lives to a constant quest for knowledge and the science that is wonderment. But childhood is short and the days are shorter still, what with kids in school for … [Read more...]