Mum-of-two Bunmi Laditan will not let her daughter do her school homework anymore - and she's even written to the school to tell them
As parents, we all know the trials and tribulations of trying to get your children to do their homework.
To be fair to them, they've just got in from a full day of school, so the last thing they want to do is actually MORE work - but there's no way around it, they've got to do it!
Or do they?
One mum doesn't think so.
Bunmi Laditan, who lives in Quebec, Canada, has decided that enough is enough when it comes to her daughter's homework.
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, the novelist writes that her daughter is "done" with extra work to be done after school.
Bunmi begins by saying: "My kid is done with homework. I just sent an email to her school letting her know she's all done. I said 'drastically reduce' but I was trying to be polite because she's finished."
It may sound dramatic, but actually her reasoning might make you think twice: "My 10-year-old loves learning. She independently reads 10-12 chapter books a year and regularly researches topics that interest her."
Bunmi's daughter already does plenty of extra-curricular work: "She takes coding classes, loves painting, and likes something called Roblox that I don't fully understand. But over the past four years I've noticed her getting more and more stressed when it comes to school. And by stressed I mean chest pains, waking up early, and dreading school in general."
The worrying side effects of her daughter's education may ring true with other parents: "She's in school from 8:15am-4pm daily so someone please explain to me why she should have 2-3 hours of homework to do every night?
"How does homework until 6:30, then dinner, then an hour to relax (or finish the homework) before bed make any sense at all? Is family time not important? Is time spent just being a child relaxing at home not important? Or should she become some kind of junior workaholic at 10 years old?"
And whilst you may have started reading this article scoffing at Bunmi, you might change your mind when you read the next part: "Did you know that in Finland homework is banned? And that they have the highest rate of college bound students in all of Europe? Children do not need hours of homework time to succeed yet we act like sitting at a kitchen table after a full day at school somehow makes sense. It does not. IT DOES NOT. IT. DOES. NOT.
"Children need downtime after school the same way adults need downtime after work. They need to play with their siblings. They need to bond with their parents in a relaxed atmosphere, not one where everyone is stressed about fractions because - SURPRISE- I'm not a teacher. Children need time to just enjoy their childhoods or is that just for the weekends (although we do homework on Sundays also)."
The mum-of-three definitively says her little girl will no longer be stressed out by workload: "My kid is all done with homework. If the school wants to punish her for it, then I guess I'll have to figure out how to homeschool.
"I'm very nervous about it because although I work from home, I do work. I also have a three-year-old who only goes to preschool two mornings a week. And a seven-year-old in second grade. I'll have to hire a tutor to help me and will need to find a group of parents doing the same thing, but I have no choice at this point."
Bunmi describes how she just wants the best for her children, as all parents do: "We all want our children to grow up and succeed in the world. While I believe in education, I don't believe for one second that academics should consume a child's life. I don't care if she goes to Harvard one day. I just want her to be intelligent, well-rounded, kind, inspired, charitable, spiritual and have balance in her life.
"I want her to be mentally and emotionally healthy. I want her to know that work is not life, it's part of life. Work will not fulfill you. It will not keep you warm - family, friends, community, giving back, and being a good person do that."
"I suppose I'll hear from her school tomorrow. We have some decisions to make. But going forward, this is a homework-free household and I don't care who knows it. My kid needs to be a kid."
In a world where children are constantly being tested and measured by specific standards, Bunmi's last line really might hit home to some parents.
If you're thinking that Bunmi is criticising her daughter's teachers, think again. In a comment under the post, she clarifies: "I want to state that I'm in no way blaming her teachers. They're incredible and I know they have to do things a certain way. This system just isn't working for my family or my child.
"I can't watch her unravel anymore and be filled with so much stress at age 10. Her dad (who is a very good behavioural therapist) and I have worked hard to reduce her stress, but there's just too much work. I don't talk about my kids much because I try to respect their privacy but I felt like I needed to get this out there. Something has to change."
What do you think? Do you think there's too much pressure on children at school? Does your child seem to get a lot of homework? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.
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