'Children need downtime' Mum's defiant Facebook post goes viral after she declares that she's 'banning homework'

One mum's defiant Facebook post has gone viral after she officially declared that hers would be a 'homework free household.'

Mother of three Bunmi Laditan has been left deeply concerned for her eldest daughter Maya's health, noting she was often given '2-3 hours of homework a night'.

'Children need downtime after school the same way adults need downtime after work. They need to play with their siblings. They need to bond with their parents in a relaxed atmosphere, not one where everyone is stressed about fractions,' Bunmi says in the impassioned post, which so far has received nearly 16,000 shares and thousands of supportive comments from fellow exasperated parents.

'My 10-year-old loves learning,' Bunmi continues. 'She independently reads 10-12 chapter books a year and regularly researches topics that interest her (right now she's writing a story about wolves). She takes coding classes, loves painting, and likes something called Roblox that I don't fully understand. But over the past four years I've noticed her getting more and more stressed when it comes to school. And by stressed I mean chest pains, waking up early, and dreading school in general.'

Bunmi, who is the author of a number of successful parenting books and married to a 'very good' behavioural therapist, adds that the family have consulted with private tutors and healthcare professionals to come to the informed decision to lessen Maya's stress levels by banning homework completely.

https://www.facebook.com/BunmiKLaditan/posts/1896140190632968:0

In a polite notice to the school, Bunmi writes that she will be 'drastically reducing the amount of homework she does this year' – although admits in her Facebook post that by 'drastically reduce' she means ban all together.

'Doing 2-3 hours of homework after getting home at 4.30 is leaving her to just be a child and enjoy family time and we'd like to avoid her sinking into depression over this.'

She signs off: 'Thanks for understanding.'

Bunmi's post has been met by a tonne of encouragement from parents and teachers alike, who are also concerned that schoolwork is causing too much stress for their young children.

'I teach 8-9 year old's and I don't assign any homework. I have them all day, when they are at their best for learning. If I can't accomplish what I need to in those hours, I need to re-evaluate my teaching,' writes one commenter.

'As someone who despised homework, but always got high a's on schoolwork, it is not necessary for most kids, says another. 'Some kids that struggle might need a tutor, but even that should only be a few hours a week tops. Endless studying does not help. Every study done on how kids learn shows than more recess and less homework produce better grades and more successful adults.'