Janet Christie: “More homework! Who are these nutters?”

Published on 02/07/2012 00:00

End of term at last, yay! Youngest and I (OK, mainly me) are celebrating no homework for six weeks.

“I cannot BELIEVE you said that,” says Youngest.

“What?

“On parents’ night. To MY TEACHER. About the homework.”

“Oh yeah,” I laugh. She glares.

I had opined that Youngest was given far too much homework.

Her teacher was surprised. Apparently I was the only parent who said this. In fact, she said, other parents were asking for more.

“More homework!” I’d said. “Who are these nutters?”

Silence. In which Youngest and teacher eyeball me.

Am I the only one prepared to admit it’s parents who do all this stuff? And with too much to do already, the last thing I need to do is “make an unsinkable ship,” build a model of Newhaven lighthouse, or (the latest piece of pain in the backsidery) make a dish that combines something Scottish and foreign. Youngest came up with Italian ice-cream with Scottish shortbread, but it was me who had to trawl Asda at 10pm, hunt out our coolbox, plastic cutlery and cups.

“Homework OK?” I ask, later.

“Yes. Very good.”

“I should bloody hope so.”

“You might hate homework but you know what?”

“What!?”

“You’re the best mum ever.”

Aw.