Homework

Once again the word of homework has reared it's ugly head. The school holidays are moving on and it is less than two weeks when 'Thing' 1 goes back to school. At the beginning of the hols we scheduled all of homework that needed to be done, so that we all knew what was expected. Also, so that Thing 1, as he is particularly devious could not:
1. Hide some of it.
2. Lose some of it.
3. Hide/lose the list of things to be done.
4. Leave it all outside in the garden so it would blow in the pool.
[As he is the most sly and shifty child I know.]
Anyway most of the work had been done over the last few weeks by: speaking nicely, speaking firmly, discussing, reasoning, threatening to remove treats, actually removing treats, bribing and lastly shouting!
However, he has left his pet hate until last. Complete an English spelling book and to read 5 Spanish story books and 2 English kids novels and write book summaries on each. OMG!!!!
The hell of the last two days. Hubby is away in the UK and yesterday I did all of the above and to cap it all had to chase him around the house and actually grab him and lead him to the table where books were laid out. I physically sat next to him for two hours, persuading, cajoling, helping, turning the page, cello taping the dictionary when it got ripped in his rage.
Finally the spelling book was completed and I felt that I needed not a glass of wine but the whole bottle or maybe a case. However, that was not possible as I'm detoxing. I looked forward to today. [not!]
To my great surprise once the book had been completed he became the model child.
He:
1. Cleaned and hoovered his room and the office.
2. He offered to walk the dog [ A FIRST!]
3. He fetched the washing in off the line and helped with every little thing he could think of around the house all evening. AMAZING!

After some thought and a phone conversation with hubby we realised what might have brought upon the model behaviour..... It was the fact that I had spent time with him and not his sister.

Today we went through the same procedure as yesterday, but this just took longer, probably because I had been listening to his sister read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

At one point I started to read out loud the first of the Spanish story books. This worked, however, as he hates to hear my pigeon Spanish! or rather Spanglish as he puts it.

He has promised to do two books tomorrow. We'll see!