Elementary School: How To Avoid Arguing With Your Child About Homework

How can I avoid arguing with my child about homework?

Arguements between kids and their parents about homework are age-old. I don't think this is something that we can ever escape from entirely. I think one of the main things parents can do is to be real clear as to what they expect about homework: that they expect it to be done, that they expect it to be done correctly, that they expect it to be done before dinnertime, or before the TV goes on, or before the phone gets picked up or whatever the rule is. And to be just absolutely set on that rule, whatever it is. So the kids understand it is a priority and it's not, "Oh, well, Susie invited you to a playdate today, so today you can do your homework at 9: or we can get up early in the morning and do it before school." These are the things that set really kind of bad examples for them and they think, "well, so homework is dispensible." So I think one of the ways that parents, just from a very early age, "you come home, you do it, you do it right, it's a priority," and then you move on to the fun things.