These Parents Prove That Helping Their Kids With Homework Really Might Be The Death Of Them
Helping your kids with their homework is something that every parent experiences, but it's not always an easy experience. You will never doubt yourself more than when you realize that you're incapable of helping your child with their sixth grade math homework.
Your kids will realize you actually don't know everything, you and your husband will realize you've forgotten everything you learned in school, and everyone will leave disappointed. Your only solace is that every parent goes through it.
Crying Is Always Part Of The Equation
If you're ever going to have a moment where you question whether or not you're qualified to be a parent, it's probably going to be during a time when you're helping them with their math homework.
He Definitely Got That From His Dad
Regardless of how good or bad of a student you were when you were in school, chances are your kids are going to inherit the qualities you didn't want them to (as well as some good ones).
Abort Mission
When it comes to questions like this, where you have no idea what the answer is, that's the time where you push for independent problem-solving. This is the question that you tap out and say they have to learn to do a question on their own.
What Does This Mean?
If you're the one who helped your kid complete their homework, you like to see their grades and you're a little more invested than usual, so when teachers write comments like this, it's as infuriating for you as it is for your child.
It's Mommy's Special Brain Juice
The longer you have to sit at the kitchen table explaining the "I before E except after C" spelling rule to your child, the bigger the glass of wine at the end of the night.
You're Qualified To Raise A Human, But You Can't Pass Social Studies?
At least when you were a kid, you didn't feel as bad about getting things wrong because you knew you didn't know everything, but that hits differently when you're an adult who has a career and a family. It's a different kind of shame.
Start Studying After They Go To Sleep So You Can Look Smarter
You know that you're not qualified to help your child with their homework, your husband knows it, the dog knows it, but your child doesn't, so what're you going to do? You're going to try to help them.
Blame The Kid
If your kid gets a bad grade on their homework, deny, deny, deny. You didn't have any involvement in it, they imagined it. You bet you're going to take credit for a good grade, though.
It's A Problem For You Too
Not only have you just learned that your child thinks every aspect of his life is a "huge problem" thanks to his feelings journal, but you've also learned your 12-year-old doesn't know how to color inside the lines.
Run.
Depending on how good of a student you were and how much you remember from school, age 10 is around the time that your knowledge will start to fail you and you'll need to be able to come up with an excuse to not help. Start brainstorming now.
Independent Study Is Going Great
You walked away for two minutes to check on dinner while trying to help your daughter with her homework, then you come back to this. You don't want to be doing it any more than she does, so just join in instead and take the F.
One Problem Is Never Just One
Your daughter says she needs help with her homework before your dinner, and she tells you it's only four problems, so you say sure! Then you sit down to find out every problem has 18 parts to it, and you're filled with regret.
Always Check Their Bag
On Friday, you asked her if she had any homework to do this weekend and you made the mistake of believing her. Fast-forward to Sunday night and your kid is crying, you're crying, everyone's stressing, all because you didn't check her bag on Friday.
They Can't Be Trusted To Problem-Solve
You might think that you can wander away from your child while they're trying to do their homework but then you'll hear them laugh maniacally and you come back to answers like this.
Always Remind Them At Least Four Times
You spent a painful hour the night before sitting at your child's desk trying to help them with their homework—an hour that ended with both of you in tears—and then they have the audacity to forget it?
Multiple Choice Should Not Be This Hard
You may think your child is overreacting when they demand your help on yet another problem, but then you look at the screen to see a question like this and you understand why they're so confused.
Define "Accident"
Do we think that mom spilling her coffee on her child's homework was really an accident, or was it more of an "accident" because mom didn't know the answer to question #6?
He Technically Did What The Teacher Asked
Reading over your son's homework, you now realize why the teacher sent home a note suggesting that perhaps you sit next to him while he does the next couple of workbooks...
Good Enough.
Once you walk away from that homework table, anything can happen. You don't get to ask more than one question at a time, so choose wisely. Do you just care that it's done, or do you want to have to check it over?
Back In My Day, We Had It Much Harder!
While math problems are often the root of your stress, sometimes your kid is going to bring home a project that is so simple you can't help but wonder what it is that this school is actually teaching your kid. Don't think too long about it, or you'll never come back from that hole.
Since When Is Speculation Part Of The Curriculum?
It's no wonder your second grader needed help with her homework considering they're asking her to learn how to read minds. Your only choice is to make up an answer so you can convince your child you're smart and hope the teacher marks it right.
Google Is Your Homework Help Now
There comes a time in every parent-child relationship when you both acknowledge that you're no longer of use to them and they stop pretending that you're going to be helpful.
You're On Your Own, Kid
Is my elementary school kid Albert Einstein? After we're finished calculating the volume of the observable universe, we'll get right on to teaching ourselves theoretical physics after we put the kids down to sleep!
Time To Switch Partners, Just Like The Problem Says!
You're looking at the question trying desperately to come up with some sort of answer so you'll look smart in front of your kid and then it clicks: "Go ask your mother."
She Looks Smart, Go Ask Her
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to figure out your child's math homework. Any somewhat sane adult is fair game to ask for help.
The Ultimate Punishment
The worst part is when your kid's teacher refers to the "core" curriculum or the basic curriculum, and you realize just how much you've forgotten since you were in school because none of it is part of your curriculum now.
It Will Absolutely Drive You To Drink
It'll drive you to tears, it will drive you to drink, it will make you want to drive your kid back to school and leave them there until they figure out how to solve their own problems.
They're The Sun In Your Solar System
One of the biggest pains of parenting is when your kid tells you about a project the night before it's due. Not even the day before, but the night before as in 12 hours before. That's how you end up at the kitchen table painting a solar system while they sleep.
All-Around Confusion
Your daughter brings home an assignment covered in question marks and says you have to review it with her, but you don't know the answer either, so all you've done is add a third confused person to the equation.
The Solution To All Your Problems
If you cry the first time they ask you to help with their homework, then you'll never have to help them again! They'll ask dad from now on, and you can enjoy your evening.
