A Slow, Painful Death

Homework is going to kill me.

I am beyond frustrated with William's homework.

Tonight he came home from school, had a snack then slept for four hours. Only got up then because I woke him. He's tired. I understand that, but after a four hour nap, homework should go pretty good right?

Not so. Math paper finished with me helping him with EACH problem.

Handwriting? I thought it would be fun, motivational for us to race. Wrong again. Forty five minutes to finish one page. Yes, one page.

Mind you, the entire time he is complaining-He can't do it, it's to hard, it's to much, it's bedtime. (I know, right?)

I've tried to be encouraging- You can do it, you are doing a good job, focus on your work, it'll be done before you know it.

I've tried incentives- When you get X done you can watch 30 minutes of t.v., you can have a snack, you can play the wii.... nothing works.

I've tried punishment- If you do not get X done you cannot go to soccer practice, your 4-H meeting, with Dad in the tractor.

I've tried time. You have to get X done before you eat, before your shower, before you play.

Most nights he does not have time to do anything else because he messes around instead of doing his work.

The crying. He cries. Most days I would chalk it up to being tired. Not tonight.

Last week, frustrated because he forgot to bring a project home to study, (again) I wrote his teacher a note stating that I wanted him to stay in from his ONE 20 minute recess to finish this one project so he could bring it home. Only to find out that he has not been getting his recess. She has been making him stay inside to catch up on his work.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING.

When was the last time he got his whole recess? Who knows. I'm upset.

A. I get so upset with him at homework time, I lose my patience.

B. Who wants to work if they are not getting any break time during the day?

It's 11:25pm, and he still has 5 pages of handwriting. (3 hours and 45 minutes worth?)

What am I going to do?