Let the battle begin...

The homework battle, that is. *sigh* I was SO hoping my third grader wouldn't have homework battles. Perhaps it's just because today is the first day of homework for the year?

He has a homework folder and it is due back on Friday, so he can honestly do his homework at any point during the week... but we usually have him do it on Monday so it's done.

Last week, we bought him a Webkinz because he had a good week and because he has been WANTING a Webkinz for MONTHS now. He now has a Cheetah named Freckles (he picked the name).

So. Here is the conversation in the car on the way home from school today:
Me: Do you have papers?
B: yup, in my backpack
I open his backpack and see the orange homework folder.
Me: Oh, you have homework today.
B: yeah, and she does it just like Mrs C. (2nd grade teacher) it's all due back on Friday.
Me: Cool, so you're used to that.
B: yeah, but can I do my homework tomorrow?

Now I KNOW the reason for this plan... he wants to come home and play on Webkinz on the computer (which I admit is really fun and cute).

Me: Well, I told you your Webkinz time has to be earned... so when we get home I'll look at your homework and we'll see how much you'll need to do tonight to earn some computer time.
B: Ok, but I think I just want to do the math page

So we come home. I look at the homework. He has 3 things to do. Two are language arts and one is math. I tell him he can work on one of the LA and the math.

Here is what followed:
Blake, in a sing-song voice: I need a pencil. Pencil pencil peeeeeenciiiiillllll. Where oh where is a pen .. pen... pencil.....

He finds the pencil and sits down to work and starts singing songs to the dog. Then he starts making this noise... that is really difficult to describe, but if you've ever seen the movie "The Money Pit".. when Tom Hanks' character looks through the hole in the floor and starts to laugh? And he breathes in that dying pig kind of sound? Yeah.. that's the sound he is now making... at the top of his lungs.

I slowly turn around, look at him and say, "Ok. Let me tell you how this is going to work. You are going to stop making all that noise. You are going to work quietly on your homework. You are going to stop making that obnoxious noise. You have fifteen minutes to finish that page, and then you'll have fifteen minutes for the math page. If they are not finished quietly then you will lose your Webkinz time completely."

*sigh*

If this keeps up... it's going to be a loooooooooong year.