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Does all the homework your child's teacher sends home make you wonder just what they're at school doing all day? Well, if you're like me, that thought has crossed your mind on more than one occasion. And if it has, don't feel guilty about it. Do something about it!

In case you've been wondering, allow me to let you in on a bit of advice: It's not going to end. Therefore, you can either keep griping about it, or make it into a more enjoyable experience for both you and your child. I sincerely hope you decide to do that latter. It has really improved my take on what I deemed as a total waste of both my child's and my time in the evenings.

Here are a few tips that will help you possibly see this 'imposition' in a different light.

1. Set a schedule ' I've found that if you set a scheduled time for when homework is to be completed, you can still enjoy your evening with your family. This helps to eliminate the stress of waiting until half an hour before your child is supposed to be in bed and remembering they haven't completed their homework. No more rushing through assignments, which makes the learning experience more enjoyable for both you and your child.

2. Don't send your child to their room to do their homework ' Get actively involved with their entire homework process. The kitchen table is not just for dinner, anymore. Use it to help feed their minds and not only their tummies! Children equate being sent to their room as punishment, and this could develop a notion in them that learning is bad. Learning is a wonderful privilege that shouldn't be marred by parents who don't want to deal with homework.

3. Make it fun ' If it has to be done, it might as well be fun! This is a great opportunity for you to help your child develop not only a love of learning, but creative ways to do so, as well. If your child is learning about fractions, get some measuring cups from the kitchen and show them what it looks like to add two halves to get a whole! Bake a pan of brownies as they work (or after), and cut it up in pieces and show them fractions that way, too!

The differences these three things have made in my son's study habits have been astounding! He is now excited to come home with his homework assignments because he knows his parents are going to actively be present to assist him in any way needed. This also shows him that we care about his education enough to take time away from our own schedules to sit with him as he goes through his work.

But what it has done for us, as his parents, has been the most amazing! Homework is no long looked upon as an imposition. It's now a time for us to pour our values, our love and our time in our son's life. And nothing else feels quite like it!

So next time you want to complain about your child's teacher sending all of that darn homework home, thank them for giving you the chance to have unparalleled influence in your child's life. You'll be glad you did!