A great number of parents in our neighborhood seem to have a similar parenting style: they micromanage their kids' school studies. They closely oversee homework, they can tell you at any time what class their kid is in at any point of the school day, they have charts to keep track of test schedules.
Well none of that is happening here at the Larson house. Well, okay maybe a tiny bit, but not much. We see school as the kids' "job" for which they are responsible. Before they can have screen time, we ask if their homework is done, and if they report that it is, then that's good enough for us. We don't check, we take their word for it. Their teachers email us to let us know when tests are coming up, and sometimes we'll ask them if they're prepared, or if they need help studying, but for the most part it's up to them to know when a test is and to be ready for it. It's worked out pretty well so far – they get great grades and it's all their doing. What does it teach them if they learn to count on us to remind them to study for something, or to be sure their homework or project is done? We want them to be self-reliant. If it's a "big" test like an SOL (and let's not even talk about their value, which I think is minimal), then we'll try to be sure the kids got a good night's sleep and a good breakfast.
This isn't to say we don't remind them if they're leaving their homework on the kitchen table - we don't go that far. We also give reminders when long-term projects are coming due...and that's mostly for our own sanity so there aren't last-second trips to the craft store.
I hope that how we've chosen to handle school is and will continue to be beneficial for Reed and Amy. We are very fortunate that our kids can handle this kind of responsibility – we're grateful for it every day.
