We all feel the need to be there for our kids. We want to spare them emotional and psychological pain. We step in as tutors, counselors, teachers, police, chief 
cooks, and bottle washers. Anything, no, everything our kids need remedied, we do our best to fix. As parents, we have an unending desire, an un-qualifying need to make things better for our children. We promise to be there, but we can’t always fix every problem ourselves.
We do our best. Educationally, we strive to give our kids the academic support to help them succeed. We read what they read, we do homework with them. We go to meetings, talk with teachers, friends and professionals. We blog, set up testing appointments, learn the latest options. We advocate as loudly as we can. We are their voice, sometimes their only voice, and we know it.
Yet, with the best of intentions, the most well-meaning ideas, sometimes it doesn’t seem that we are doing a good job or succeeding. And, more importantly, many times the homework battles that occur make the job of advocate seem futile. How many times has the door slammed? How many times have there been shouting matches after dinner, at bedtime, before school? How many tears have been shed? How many…? And yet, we continue…
We may wish for a magic wand, genie from a bottle, even perhaps a delete button that could instantly erase the battles over getting the homework done, the papers found, the grades improved. Of course, that wish doesn’t bring us any closer to a real-world solution.
Instead, what if there were a way to minimize stress and eventually keep homework battles all under control?
One of the main reasons I wanted to become an academic coach at Beyond Booksmart was because I remembered being in those situations time and time again – first as a child always procrastinating and putting things off until the last second, never having my homework done on time or being able to find it, pulling all-nighters before tests, and then as the adult, losing my patience when I had to help my child with assignments at 10:00pm. You can probably relate to how painful it can be on both sides of the coin.
I became an Executive Function Coach to help change this pattern. I remember feeling so good when I first started asking parents if they would like a break from homework battles and enjoy family time again, instead of acting as screaming banchees. As a coach, I enjoy taking the pressure off of you. I work with your child to help him or her get things done, turn homework in on time, have a plan to follow, and eventually learn to do homework independently.
We academic coaches have the knowledge. We have the training. We develop a plan. We have the patience you’ve exhausted. We want the same things as you, but we are not emotionally involved. We are there for a short time and for a specific purpose, to help your son or daughter learn the tools and strategies to become organized and help them become calm, productive individuals. And I’ve seen it work time and time again. The heated homework battles cool down, a détente is reached, and eventually peace is restored on the homefront.
Want to learn more about how Executive Function coaching can help you and your child end your homework battles? Click below to schedule a complimentary consultation today.
Laura Weiss, Ed. D., an educational psychologist and Executive Function coach, has several years of experience in conducting evaluations of school-aged children as both a certified school psychologist and an independent evaluator. She continued to develop her strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills during her three years as director of admissions at a private school. As an academic coach, Laura excels at helping students stay on task, become more organized, control their anxiety, and transfer skills from one situation to another.
photo credit: Battle of Prestonpans Family Weekend 2014 via photopin (license)
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