Homework Havoc!
Parents of upper elementary, middle school, and high school students often become what I call the “homework police”. They are the ones who greet their child every day with one of the following phrases: “Do you have any homework tonight?” or “Did you bring your spelling words home?” Or possibly, “Did you bring your math book home like I asked you to?”
To these their child replies with a variety of answers…
“Oh, I forgot!” or, “Oops, I forgot!” and sometimes, “We didn’t have any homework!”
Sound familiar?

The good news is that the answer to this dilemma can be quite simple… introduce your child to “THE CONTRACT”. This is one of my favorite tools to use with children of all ages. One of the biggest advantages to the contract is that it puts your child in charge of his/her own learning. They become in charge! Here is how it works…

Sit down with your child and just explain that you no longer wish to nag them about doing their homework. (They will be thrilled to hear this.) Let them know that they will now be in charge. Tell them that together you will be writing a contract that will lay out the expectation, the consequence, and the reward. Make sure that your child is the one who writes the contract.

Some suggested consequences could be:
Computer or video game privileges revoked.
Phone time taken away
TV privileges removed

Some suggested rewards:
Special time with mom or dad
A fun family activity such as bowling, rollerblading, or a movie.
A special meal

Children like the contract because they create it and are put in charge of their own learning. Parents like it because they no longer have to nag. If the contract is broken they can just refer to it and say, “Here is what we agreed to, and here is the agreed upon consequence.” Parents can stay calm and their children are happier.