Studying Tips of a Working Mom

Being a working mom is difficult. Thank God I just work part time. I used to be a full time mom so it was easier then.  However, my hours now are such that I'm still out when they get home from school and their extra curricular activities. They sometimes need help with their homework and The Husband ( although he's a hands on Dad ) doesn't enjoy this. I do.

I love tutoring my kids. I've been doing it for years from the now college child to the youngest in pre school. I think I have developed much patience and understanding thru the years. Also I think it is so important to develop their study habits when they are young. Of course at a certain age you let them do it on their own but still allow them to come to you with questions or even help doing research while they do other school stuff.

Exam week and the weekend before is always the most hectic for us. I cancel all my appointments during this week. The kids have my full undivided attention and in a way its our bonding time. I used to make them reviewers as in exam like papers and check their answers. Then I mark those that we need to review again.  I even had an group with other co parents who would share their reviewers with us. Now, we do mostly verbal reviews since I don't have the time to make the reviewers for all of them at the same time. The kids have also developed study tricks like reading thru a paragraph then trying to remember what they just read. They even know how to ask themselves questions their teacher might ask. They cover their previous test papers and try to answer them all over again. Sometimes they even make their own reviewers! Thank God they are cooperative and attentive without my having to threaten or force them to study. It helps that the smaller ones see the older ones studying hard and they want to follow their footsteps.

The good thing about having many kids is that the older ones help out with the younger ones too. They help me do the reviews and also help me when I don't know the answers. I humbly admit to them when I don't know the answers ! It makes the older ones feel good to literally know more than me. It also makes me feel good that they know how to share their time and knowledge with the younger ones. I give them frequent breaks between studying and they eat a snack or go out the house a few minutes to play with their friends.

Tutoring kids when they are young pays off because when they get older, they learn how to study on their own. Just try to make studying time fun for your kids. A little effort on our part goes a long way and when the exam results are out Mom hopefully gets a good grade too! I'm happy I started when they were young. Now I can work again since they have already developed their independence.