DS has just started year 3.
Every week he's expected to learn about 15 spellings, learn some times tables, do 30 minutes of a home learning task, do an 'extended learning' project that is an ongoing project over the whole term and read at least 3 times a week out loud to an adult (we do this bit anyway).
On top of this, he does swimming after school and he has to do guitar lessons and practice (we signed him up for these things before we knew how much 'home learning' he'd have to do. This is actually very little compared to some kids we know)
We just received a text at 8.35 (after i've dropped DS off for school) saying 'remember it's Greek day today, we can't wait to see you in your costumes!'.... well there was a date in the class newsletter about 'greek day', but no mention of dress up, so either a letter didn't make it's way home to us on Friday or they just expected our kids to tell us (which they seem to expect them to do quite a bit). Well, either way, there is no way we would have had time or money to get together a costume over the weekend at such short notice. I feel SO AWFUL, poor boy :(
Our weekends are always PACKED. Haircuts, essential clothes/shoe/food shopping, seeing grandparents, family and friends, festivals, events, parties, walking, NT properties, swimming... It's very rare that we have a free day and we tend to stay out later if the kids are having fun, so sometimes we leave at 9/10 and don't get home til gone 7.
Where on earth are we supposed to find the time!? Obviously, we're just going to have to find the time and get on with it, but is there such a thing as just letting kids have some time to themselves anymore?
AIBU?
To wonder how people find the time to fit in their kids 'home learning'?
Cookethenook · 16/09/2013 09:53
It's a gigantic pain in the arse, that's what it is.
I left school over 25 years ago. From that day until this, I have not used 99% of what I learned at school. Now I have to relearn such gems as how to calculate the circumference of a frigging circle, why george shot lenny, what's the spanish for can you direct me to the library and which king did what that doesn't matter at all cos it was SIX HUNDRED BLOODY YEARS AGO, in order to help my kids with their homework.
I resent it, I really do. I know that's awful 
but I spend two hours a frigging night doing pissing homework and a good chunk of weekend too.
I think the main reason I hate it so much is that it makes me feel so thick. I have never since the day I left school used any of this stuff and it dropped right out of my brain to make room for all the real life stuff I have actually needed to know in order to function as an adult in life and earn a living. Now I have to effectively go back to school and retake my bleeding gcses.
I feel really stupid. Cos it's all gone. I couldn't even figure out how to calculate the area of an ellipse. Even after googling it.
I think I need to go and breathe into a paper bag for a bit.
ooer. I didn't leave school over 25 years ago. It was 23 years ago.
See. I've even forgotten basic maths.
About the Greek thing - don't worry OP. I know you feel bad but your DS wont be the only one who's parents forgot, didn't get the info. or just didn't have the time/money to do the costume. Same with being anxious about every single piece of homework getting done to A grade and on time.
Before i worked in a school i had the idea that i was a dreadful parent as i thought i was probably among a very small percentage of parents not making the grade! I felt it was always me and probably only me who forgot stuff, couldn't afford every trip, got the timetable mixed up sometimes, found it very stressful getting all homework done on time, made costumes which were quite a bit less than wonderful every time.
After 8 years as a TA i now know 95% of the parents fall into the same category as me - ie perfectly normal 
Relax - IMO and IME as long as we are doing our best and getting it right as parents apx. 2/3 of the time then we're winning.
Which makes me even more horrible for resenting it so much, I know it does. But I do. I have so much on already, without plugging away for two hours trying to teach a child about equations when that child would be better served with that extra time spent on independent living skills.
It's just their needs. They require guiding through it at home and at school. You have to walk them through it tiny bit by tiny bit. But you have to know it inside out and upside down in order to do so. Which the school do. But I don't.
I wasn't doing it like this until I got a ticking off from the school and a reminder of the importance of the gcse years. Before that I said look, it's their homework, if they won't do it, give them detention, if they try their best that's fine, if they can't do it, then you need to give them different work.
anyway, didn't mean to hijack! was just joining in the rant.
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.