Tonight we worked on math again.  Surprisingly the boys do not balk at it at all.  In many ways I think it is kind of a relief for them to finally have someone who will help them with math.

Middle Boy likes to sit at the coffee table to do the workbook.  Not the best discipline for doing homework, but a step above not doing it at all.  Younger Boy INSISTED on laying in the floor to do the work.  Of course for Sophie this was an indication it was time to play.  She was jumping on him and chewing his pencil.  He kept telling her no and was getting frustrated.

I asked him if he could be part of the solution.  Is there something he could do to make the situation better?  For example, get up off the floor.  To these boys (and a lot of people in general) they always expect the other person to change.  Not going to happen...NEVER going to happen.  I explained to the boys if they are not part of the solution things will just keep going the way they are.  It was a bigger lesson than the situation, but it applied.

Instead of saying what could you do...which seems threatening to them...I simply say "be part of the solution". 

Prayers for understanding and being people of action.