How Painful Can 15 Minutes of Homework Be?

Found this cartoon tonight & love it! As both parent & teacher, I have nothing against a small amount of homework. I know that we teachers want to connect the school to the home. I also "get" that we want kids taking Reading from the classroom to the living room and learning to enjoy great books outside school hours. Reinforcing at home the new Math & Writing skills learned in school is paramount to any good education program. (I also know that lots of the homework, including my son's, is due primarily to lack of completion during school hours--because he's occupied his time making paper clip chains & drawing  on scraps of paper.) But my son can turn an easy homework assignment upside down within 30 seconds & he isn't required to do ANYTHING close to what this cartoon portrays! (You'd think he was though by the moaning, groaning, sighing & various ailments he develops during our evening homework sessions!) And, even though I dutifully comply, I don't think I like homework either. It's over for another evening. The dust is beginning to settle and the troops are resting quietly in legoland, far from the site of the horrid experience. I really can't wait to do it again tomorrow.