Homework and Helicopter Parents

One of the hardest things as a parent (aside from keeping my sanity) is knowing when to keep my nose out of Brodie's homework.  I am a perfectionist...so it is VERY difficult to sit back and watch him do things as his own individual person.  I am also a person who likes to complete tasks quickly.  Scot & Brodie are two of the slowest people I know.  They DON'T know how to hurry.  Watching Brodie do homework can be one of the most nerve-wracking things I do all day...and really, I don't sit there and physically watch him.  It's more of a I can feel that he's not doing his homework.  That drives me crazy!  I could not imagine having to keep track of two or three children's homework.  As a teacher, I see all kinds of parents.  I have even had the parent of a 6th grader write his name on his homework for him.  I was determined not to be a helicopter mom.  I believe in keeping close tabs on your child(ren), but hovering over them and not allowing them to make mistakes is detrimental to their growth & development.  Yes, it is very difficult to sit back while you know your child is going to make a mistake, but that is what learning is for.  Brodie started doing book reports last year in 1st grade.  I had to help him through each one, but he wrote each and every last word.  This year he has already completed 3 book reports and by the end of the written portion, I want to pull out my hair.  But, I do not tell him what to write; I help him with the structure of the sentences.  I really and truly have no idea how parents of more than one child can give that much attention to each of their children.  Well, some parents don't.  They are either lazy or are too busy, and in that case, stop having babies!!!!