Being that it was my day off, I pitched in and helped my stepson with his homework from the get go. Normally I come in after it is done or late in the process. He finished his math really quickly and then wrote the spelling words he missed 5 times. I had to find a map on the internet for his geography homework so he could fill it in and practice. I unfortunately do not know the states very well. Which was funny. Guess I will know them pretty soon. And then I decided to take a different approach on spelling.

I had him say the word out loud and then spell it. He missed a few and after about twenty words he started losing focus. He would jump up from the chair and dance around the room. I just waited patiently and gave him his space. When he realized I wasn’t going to yell at him to sit down he came back and continued. Boys are so different. He was sliding around, under and over his chair. He would crawl under the table. He just never sat still.I had to refrain from telling him to sit down or hold still. And he is funny. If he would forget to say the word first he would just keep spelling, so I would make him say it and then spell it again. At first this frustrated him, then he thought it was funny so mid spell he would stop and start over. I just felt like it was good practice and saying the word first helped him stop and focus on the word. My husband was no help, he kept making him laugh and distracting him. I finally had to tell him to be quiet or leave. lol

I really enjoyed working with him this afternoon. I kept thinking I wonder if he will remember this. Will he remember that we sat and practiced homework together, laughing and talking? Or will he just remember when I discipline him?

Tomorrow we will practice his multiplication tables out loud.

I like doing the homework out loud. It gives him attention and he is learning. Two for one.

And he has the best sense of humor.

I can’t get over some of the things he says either. He is SO smart. Way smarter than me.

The other night he was telling me all this stuff about the Superbowl. How he was rooting for the Giants. How he and his friends were talking about the quarterback, Tom Brady. He read all this stuff in the newspaper they get at school. Kudos. I told him our family is an AFC football team family, we root for the same guys that play the Broncos. He disagreed (lol) and we discussed the different teams and why we thought they would win. I think hubby will need to brush up on some sports which he doesn’t really like. I can’t wait til he starts playing football. It will be so great to go watch him play. I know that will be my bonding time with my stepson. I will be the sports influence and I love that.

But the real question every night is -

Are you smarter than a 4th Grader?

I seriously question that every day.