Homework with a First Grader

I am a very patient person.  Well, I'm a patient person.  OK...fine...but I AM a person!  I love my son and I understand a 6-year-old's mind can only focus on something for so long.  After all, they aren't sophisticated like - hey, have you ever wondered if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about? Wouldn't that be something!  Where was I? Oh, right...well, so the following conversation took place at the kitchen table while I was helping Will with his homework tonight.

Subject: Spelling -

Mama: Come on, Will, your homework assignment is to "say-spell-say" your spelling words.  First word: clay.

Will: Clay - c l a y - clay.

Mama: Good job!! Next word: spray.

Will: Spray - s p r a y - spray.

Mama: Very good! Did you work on these today?

Will: No, I'm just smart.

Mama: Apparently...next word: gray.

(Does anyone else see a pattern here? OK, so we go through about a dozen "ay" words and two sight words "to" and "you" and start on the written part of the homework in the spelling book.)

Mama: OK, you need to fill in a word from your spelling list that begins with "pl".

Will: (writing) Plot - p l o t - plot.

Mama: (erasing) No, it needs to be from your spelling list, so it will end in the "ay" sound...try again.

Will: (writing) Play - p l a y - play.

Mama: Fine...now fill in a word from your spelling list that begins with "st".

Will: (writing) Stop - s t

Mama: (erasing - slightly more aggressively now) Nooo...it needs to be from your spelling list - remember, all the words in your spelling list end in the "ay" sound.

Will: Well, the sight words don't.  "To" and "you" don't end in "ay".

Mama:  Right...but the other ones do.

Will: Then you should say "most".

Mama:  While I see your point, I think we should just focus on your spelling words.  Next one, fill in a word from your spelling list that begins with "spr" - this one should be easy!!

Will: (writing) Sprout - s p r o

Mama: (erasing and slightly shrieky now) WILL --- are you kidding me? We just went through how MOST of the words end with the "ay" sound, didn't we?

Will: Yes, but not ALL of them.

Mama: RIGHT - but NONE of them end in "out"!!  Start again, please...

Will: (writing) Sproo - s p

I don't know where he gets it.  He's grounded from playing games on the computer...he's funny and also awfully cute, but he's grounded anyway.