Homework

So, Braeden had his very first homework assignment this week!  I know I am a mega-nerd, but I was super excited about it!  I have been looking forward to it ever since I heard that he would be getting homework at Back to School Night.  I can't explain what it is about it all that excites me.  I know it's odd (really I do).  I mean, it should be sad, or at least melancholy, because it means he is growing up.  You'd think I'd be all misty-eyed at the idea.  But strangely I'm not.  Ok, so I did get a little teary because I was so proud of him, but more on that later.

"What homework can a Pre-K student have?" you ask?  Well, a family tree of course!  He has all week to finish it and turn it in, we got the assignment last Friday.  But we finished tonight - no late work for us!  I'll save my procrastination for my M.Ed. coursework thank you very much!  So of course I got teased by everyone that I would be one of those crazy parents who can't let go and does the work for him.  But I wasn't, I promise!  Seriously, ask Amy if you don't believe me.  I totally don't like it when parents do that, so I definitely wasn't going to become one of those.  I did help though.  I like to think of myself as more of a facilitator.  Hmmmm, that sounds nice, maybe I'll get myself a plaque.  But I digress.  

We started this weekend when I explained the assignment to him and then he listed the people he wanted to include, totally unaided and unprompted by me!  Then we looked on the computer for pictures of the chosen people.  Again, I did not choose, he proudly hand-picked each and every photo he wanted.  I did however place the order to pick the pictures up from Walgreens.  I mean really, that's an adult job any way.  So that was Day 1.  Then we didn't do anything yesterday.  Tonight on the way home we stopped and I got the pictures and a poster board.  After dinner we began to work.  The only work I did was to help trace his arm for the tree (SUPER CUTE (but all Amy's idea!)) and cut out the pictures.  He colored, glued the pictures down, and labeled all the names.  I know what you're thinking, "Shut the front door, he did not write all the names!"  Well, I am here (with the pictures to prove) that he did.  Of course I helped with spelling, but come on he's 4.  Other than that it was all his project!

I will admit it was an exhausting job to finish tonight and I kept asking if he wanted to stop and finish later, but he just kept saying, "No, I want to finish all my homework tonight!".  Cute huh, how could I argue?  So we pressed forward and 45 minutes later we were finished!  I, of course, took lots of pictures to document this momentous occasion (stay tuned to tomorrow's Wordless Wednesday post!).  

So, my little boy is growing up and doing homework.  He loves school so much and he had a blast doing it.  I am so proud of him too, he did a wonderful job.  Although I will admit I'm all worried that we did it wrong or I misread/misunderstood the instructions!  But I'm trying to push that anxiety aside and bask in the joy that is the first homework assignment.  I know in 10 years I will be reading this with a totally different outlook on homework.  Probably after fussing, fighting, and arguing with them to finish their homework.  HA!  But this post will allow me to reminisce about simpler times when everything was new and exciting and we were all blissfully naive about homework.  Ahhhhhh, savor it while it lasts!  :)

All is well, homework complete, in Drosche Land.