Homework is a nightly battle at our house. How can I help my son get his homework done without doing it for him?

Homework presents such difficulties for so many parents. The battles that are waged can often become detrimental to our relationships with our children. Therefore, ending these battles is crucial.

The first thing to consider is why your child is not doing his homework. Is the work too challenging? Is he having difficulty concentrating? Does he enjoy the attention that he gets from you when you are helping him with it?

Try having a meeting with your child's teacher and explain the difficulty you are having and ask for advice on how much your child should be expected to know. It is important to include your child in the meeting so that he can hear what is happening. If the teacher knows about the struggles, you may be able to send in homework incomplete so that the teacher sees where he is having difficulty.

After meeting with the teacher, sit down with your child to make very specific routines around homework. Within these routines, explain that you will help your child minimally, but you will not do his homework for him. The metaphor that is used in education for providing structures to help someone learn is "scaffolding." This is what you should be doing—asking questions that will lead your child to get to the answers himself.