Parents Long gym commutes

[LJL07]

Those of you who do very long gym commutes (1- 1.5 hours each each way) for upper levels: how have you made that work with homework, dinner, and getting adequate rest?

 

[duyetanh]

Yes

 

[duyetanh]

Sorry, my response got eaten. Will try the novel again later. Hopefully more will chime in

 

[skschlag]

not sure what grade your child is in, but...

When D was younger, it wasn't that long , but he did a lot of homework in the car.

This past 2 years, he had an hour commute each way. 8th grade was fine. Not much homework, and he did it at school for the most part. Freshman year got harder. He did some in the car, but he also had an off period where he did the majority of his work. He would leave for school at 7am, get home at 3:15, leave again at 4 for gym, get home at 10. Dinner was in the car. Homework was done in the off period, in the car, and sometimes after he got home from school and/or gym. It was tough. He did not get adequate rest. He slept in teh car when he could. But he was sick a lot last year.

This year, he will leave school at lunch and practice from 2-6. Then he will be home at a decent hour for dinner and schoolwork.

 

[meganliz77]

Studying and homework in the car (and she has not had a ton yet as she is only going into 6th grade this fall but lots of spelling lists and reading!!) or she sometimes would try to do it at the gym (she had a short break between school and practice) but that was full of distractions. Dinners on the go --- spend our weekends food prepping (on good weeks) so we can bring meals to town with us and other times we eat out (stupid and expensive). Many late nights and a sleepy kid. She also commutes an hour to school --- so we would get home at 10 pm. and she would be up at 6 a.m. She loves naps during the car rides too. It truly is nuts if you ask me. LOL

 

[raenndrops]

Our trip is shorter (40-45 minutes), but we have done a little homework in the car... having a "car baby" is not conducive to reading in the car as she tends to fall asleep and drool on her book, lol. She does most homework after school (she has at least 1.5 hours between getting home from school and leaving for practice. In that time, she also does her chore of the day.
Sometimes, she eats dinner in the car. Sometimes, she eats dinner after she gets home (around 8:15).

 

[beachgirl]

Flashcards for studying everything. These are studied during breakfast, while having her hair put up, while brushing teeth, etc. Homework in the car and done at school in every extra minute. Dinner in car on way home. It's amazing what you can put in a thermos. This year I figured out you could cut a turkey burger patty in half and stuff it in a thermos and she could assemble it into a burger on the way home. She has 3 thermoses, so she can have hot sides too. Time management is the only thing that makes it work.

 

[Seeker]

Agree with what has been posted above -- planning and managing your time are key. But also, enjoy the time in the car. Really. Undivided attention and uninterrupted time together is precious. We had an hour commute for several years. In addition to what has been mentioned, we talked, read books (I made her read aloud and then we discussed), listened to books on tape, music, etc. When we moved and are now closer to the gym, we both missed that time together. So if you have a commute, try not to dread it. It's the stuff childhood memories are made of, so make them good ones.

 

[Jenny]

Totally agree with the above. I remember Beth Tweddle's dad saying time with her in the car was precious, and made them very close. He missed that when she learned to drive and didn't need a lift anymore.