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Ask Wendy

Help Children
Learn Good Study Habits

done. If he is not getting his
Dear Wendy:
work done, that is between
My son goes to a Jewish
him and the teacher who
day school and so has double
assigned it. And there is no
the workload of many chil-
better way to teach this par-
dren his age. He is 9 years
ticular lesson than to send
old. My problem is he does
your
son to school unpre-
not want to do his home-
pared. If he is not taught now
work. He has about an hour
that he is responsible for get-
of work a day and from the
ting his own work done, the
minute he comes home from
WENDY
battle you are currently
school I feel like we are
BELZBERG
engaged in will turn into an
engaged in battle. I encour-
Special to
all-out war when your son
age, push, prod, threaten and
the Jewish News
gets older. Meet with your
punish. Nothing seems to
son's
teacher and describe in
work. Do you have any sug-
detail
what
goes
on in your house sur-
gestions?
rounding homework. Then take advan-
— Battle Lines Drawn
tage of a moment when you don't need
Try doing nothing at all. Your
to police or interfere. For most moth-
tuition pays for your son to have a full-
ers, moments like these don't present
time teacher whose job it is to assign
themselves very often.
homework and to make sure it gets

Dear Wendy:
My 10-year-old and his friend have
been asking for a sleepover. When I
called the friend's mother to arrange
the date, she told me that her family is
Catholic and goes to early Sunday
morning mass. She asked if it would
be acceptable if she took our son
along. What's the right answer to that
question?

— Striving For Tact

If you send your son out into the
world having taught him to 'under-
stand and be tolerant of people's dif-
ferences — religious differences
being one of the big ones — you can
feel proud of your parenting. That
noble goal is certainly consistent
with the..following response: Tell me
what time you leave for mass and I'll
be there to pick up my son.

I'm all for being open-minded and
teaching children that Judaism is but
one religion in a world filled with
many. But your son can grasp that con-
cept without watching his friend kneel
and swallow the body of Christ. Your
son is Jewish. If he had expressed a
keen interest in witnessing a church ser-
vice, my response may be different. But
he shouldn't go to mass out of conve-
nience. You may have to get up a little
earlier than usual the Sunday morning
after the sleepover.

❑

Write to "Ask Wendy' at 954
Lexington Ave. #189, New York,
NY 10021, or e-mail

askwendy@thejewishnews.com

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