Dear Homework

Big Sis's assignment last night was to write a Friendly Letter.

The Friendly Letter quickly became The Enemy.

Really, it doesn't matter what the homework assignment is on any given night. The assignment could be Eat Chocolate Chip Cookies and Talk About Your Experience. But chewing or even simply comprehending the task will be too difficult if a certain someone is overly tired or not in the mood.

Big Sis has written plenty of letters. All by herself. Most recently, she has been penning notes to fairies, without even being asked. Not to mention that writing Friendly Letters has been the focus of instruction during the past two weeks of second grade and I have seen evidence of her correspondence with her teacher.

Yet here's a glimpse of the conversation I forced her to have with herself last night as I washed dishes and sighed, rolled my eyes, reminded her to read the detailed directions, and threatened to send her to bed:

"Mom."

"I don't know what to write."

"Who do I even write to? I don't even know who to write to!"

"Who am I suppsed to write to? What am I even going to say?"

"What is the date? How do I write the date? I don't even know where to put it."

"I don't know how to write a letter. Why can't you help me write my letter?"

"I can't believe you won't help me. How am I supposed to do this?"

"I'm doing it all wrong. Because you won't help me."

After nearly rubbing a hole in her paper with her eraser (and I shudder to think of the horrors which would have ensued), silence settled over the scene and, lo, a friendly letter from Big Sis to her Auntie emerged. The subject was her school and her teacher, both described within as "awesome."

Being buckled in for the nightly Homework Roller Coaster? Not so awesome.