My point is that by the time ds was finished with his homework, there was no energy or desire to work on his novel, do his chemistry experiments, or whatever else is intriguing him. He was simply a fried egg. I was toying with the idea of using the year between 8th grade and high school for a year of exploration. The issue then is psychological; I'm not sure placing him back in his old grade again would be a good move.
KADMom,
You have just described the Cthulhu-like horror that I feel is hovering out there just outside the light of my imagination. I am truly dreading the time that when DD has so much busywork that she won't have time to engage in meaningful after schooling.
Thanks for starting this thread because I am mentally stocking up on some of the ideas and suggestions that the various replies have brought up. One of the best things about this site is affirmation that I am not the only one having these concerns.
And to think that I had naively expected child rearing to simply be a matter of 'just add water and watch it grow'...
