How do you homeschool with a whiny toddler around?

[Anonymous]

I feel like my daughter is getting a disservice from me b/c it's gotten to the point where i plop a project in front of her b/c her whiny little brother doesnt stop cryng/whining/jumping on me/wanting something etc. He doesnt play by himself and doesnt leave my side ever.

I dont know how to give my daughter the attention she deserves to help her learn and grow.

He doesnt like to color, eat a snack, or anything and wants my attention 24/7.

I'm kind of losing it here. We are about to get a tutor 2-3x a week but even then I know my son will scream and cry and bother her.

what should i try?

[Anonymous]

try sending your daughter to school. not being snarky but you do not have a sufficient environment to provide a nurturing home school atmosphere. this is equal to parents who try to work from home without childcare: it may work for a day or two when your lucky but is not a good long term plan.

[Anonymous]

It's interesting you ask this because my SIL declared she was going to homeschool her first son when her second was 18 months old. I asked her, sincerely and calmly, how she thought she was going to manage that and she didn't have a good answer. By Christmas she was admitting it was a horrible mistake and they enrolled the oldest in 1st Grade. He's really struggled in school since, although I can't say for sure that's related to the HS experience.

[Anonymous]

op here - yes we are putting her in school next year.

what about the rest of this year? its too late to put her in school now - socially at least.

[Anonymous]

we have the same problem. i can never sit with my kids to help with homework b/c we have a colicky toddler as well!

i dont know what to do either, my DC should be reading at almost 6 but i never get a chance to help them.

[Anonymous]

Get a nanny or daycare? Teaching is a job, so you need childcare like any other working mother.

[Anonymous]

I would enroll her this week. You see its not a good fit than why wait? She will have a few months of a jump start for next year and you won't have to worry about entertaining a toddler when your suppose to be teaching. Its really not fair to either of your kids op.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:op here - yes we are putting her in school next year.

what about the rest of this year? its too late to put her in school now - socially at least.

Here are some suggestions. None of them are ideal but some combination of them should get you through the year.

Get the tutor and take the younger one out of the house to make the most of that time.

Instead of or in addition to the tutor, hire a babysitter or mother's helper to keep the little one occupied in another area of the house or take him for a walk or to the playground. If you can't afford that, see if a friend or neighbor wants to exchange babysitting services on a regular basis.

Do most of your direct instruction while the little one is napping. If your older child is not a total mess in the evenings, you could do a little more then when the little one is sleeping.

Do even more field trips, excursions, etc. that supplement what the older child is learning but keep the younger one occupied. (Bonus is that these should tire out the little one, so if you do them in the morning he should take a good long afternoon nap.)

Let the little one watch 30-60 minutes of TV a day. It won't kill him, especially for only a few more months.

Assuming your DH is home on weekends, make Saturday and Sunday "school days" and have your DH watch the little one, then two of the weekdays can be days off from school.

[Anonymous]

And perhaps try to hide your disdain for your son a little bit better.

[Anonymous]

We don't homeschool but have this problem when trying to get homework done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we have the same problem. i can never sit with my kids to help with homework b/c we have a colicky toddler as well!

i dont know what to do either, my DC should be reading at almost 6 but i never get a chance to help them.

A toddler with colic?? I think you need a new doctor if your toddler is crying for hours every single day and he is explaining it away as colic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a nanny or daycare? Teaching is a job, so you need childcare like any other working mother.

+1

[Anonymous]

Get into a homeschool network in your neighborhood or church. We have a rotation going on, for a few subjects at least, and that really helps all us dealing with younger siblings. Also, we do a lot when the younger two kids nap. Once or 2x I've had to have a mother's helper come in, but we are on a tight budget so this is rare.

Can you possibly put your son in front of the tv or movie (educational show if it makes you feel better) to at least give your daughter some quality time?

Otherwise, you aren't really "homeschooling". You are just giving her worksheets and projects with minimal instruction and added value. Those are 2 of the aspects that are suppose to be expemplified when homeschooling.

[Anonymous]

You need to send your children to school!!!!!! Bottom line.

[Anonymous]

OP, my seemingly-unrelated but actually extremely relevant advice to you is not to have any more kids.