What's been up at Playschool

Who is supposed to 'hate' homework?
Aren't kids supposed to hate homework? In our case, it's me! Let me start at the beginning. Vidur has been enjoying school after the summer break. Now that Vidur is in Nursery, the school thinks he is old enough to do his homework. The school has made a very good impression on me and therefore, I decided to forgive them for doing so. ;) The homework typically consist of coloring activity in their school book. I tried to look at it from their angle and came up with the following:

• They want to ensure that children get used to the 'good' habit of doing homework at the tender age of 3.5. It helps the kids understand that they can't leave their school at school like people leave their work at work... (confusing?) What I really mean is, it is all about 'discipline' and keeping some time aside for learning.
• They believe that learning will be reinforced when it is also done at home. 
• The parents sit with their child to have a look at what is being done at school. They also spend bonding time and explaining and guiding the kid through the homework. 
• (on a lighter note) They are trying to find all who the really 'good' parents are. What I mean is... which parents truly have time for their kids, which kid listens best to their parents and so on. Every time Vidur refuses to cooperate, I feel that his teacher may think I don't have the time! :D

My first reaction when I saw the circular and the school book was 'oops, how am I going to keep V from spilling things on this book and keeping it neat and clean!' But, I have begun to realize how much Vidur enjoys showing off what he has learnt at school. The restless child that he is, he finishes it quickly and then moves on to painting at free will on a canvas. That's more his style, hates the rules and boundaries.. :)

Let the kid decide. 

Vidur, to a large extent, uses his left hand for doing things like throwing a ball, eating his favorite food, painting, and so on. He also uses his right hand every now and then. Few traditionalists have also asked him to use his other hand. He obeys them for a while and then reverts back to his left hand. I noticed that as soon as Vidur saw his school book and I asked him to color or write in it, he shifted the crayon to his right hand. As soon as he was done, I gave him his 'informal, non-school' drawing book to paint. He immediately shifted the paintbrush to his left. I wrote a note to his teacher and also spoke to the incharge at school. Here's what I said: 

Vidur prominently uses his left hand and ever since school has begun, I see that he tries using his right hand for doing the tasks that remind him of his school (mainly homework). I am really not particular about which hand he chooses, but I do want the teacher to leave that choice to Vidur. I told her that I understood that the teacher may not be aware and she helps him write by holding his hand. I wanted to bring this to their notice. The in-charge was really sweet about it. She agreed that it was not right to change the preference and that she will have a word with teacher.

His previous teacher had also confessed that she had been encouraging Vidur to eat with his right hand. I had to make my point very clearly saying I don't mind which hand he eats with. You can tell him not to eat with both hands, but avoid telling him which hand to use. Indians are especially paranoid about using left hand for 'important' tasks like eating. I keep telling people let him decide and then we can figure it out.

I am not looking to make my kid unique and ensure he is left handed. At the same time, I am not going to force my child to use his right hand because it is the most preferred hand for a majority. Research shows that changing this can actually affect the brain. We have to give kids the time to figure out which hand they are most comfortable using.