Home Working

I'm one of those mean moms who makes their children do their homework as soon as they get home. I've tried it the other way, and the moaning and groaning that ensues as a result of my pulling them away from their fun to do the homework is just not worth it. At least the way we do it now, they are still in a "school" frame of mind when they get home. They put their backpacks and lunchboxes away, I get them a snack, we review anything that they've brought home and they finish their homework. And then they're done. And the rest of the day is theirs. Perhaps if they got home later in the afternoon I would make them go outside first, but even with this routine they're outside by 3:30 which generally includes a half hour to watch some TV and just unwind! I'm still not a big fan of the early mornings, but it really does make for a much better afternoon for them given their tendency to wake early regardless.