This is it.
They are finally here and they will come thick and fast. The GCSEs begin this week with some ‘biggies’ and for those of you who have reaped this whirlwind before will understand that this week is now a game changer.
For months we have been locked in conflict regarding revision, ironically with a generation of children who have a world, wide web of info at their finger tips and still ‘don’t know how to revise!’
We have nagged, battled and bribed them into action and relationships are strained.
This week you will notice such a change: Monday RE; Tuesday Biology; Wednesday English Literature… They will be exhausted.
The first thing they will want to do when they get in is sleep. They will sleep so soundly and deeply it is beautiful. It is a throw back to the early years when they were babies and watching them sleep was so precious.
The level of exhaustion will be evident. Let them sleep.
Forget the pressure of revision. I believe that getting up a slightly earlier and a quick flick over before going in or the blessing of an afternoon exam (which I think all exams should be timetabled for) at this stage is more than enough. They either know it or they don’t and let’s face it, they will know it.
This period until mid June…
Tidy their rooms; make their beds; pick up the clothes from less that six inches from the laundry basket and open the window so the room airs and is fresh again. (That last bit was for the teenage boy, obviously!)
Enjoy being that parent that you once were before you turned into a neurotic psychopath who has stalked them for the last six months.
Just relax now and let them do it.
Your job is to provide: nuture, care, love and all their favourite food.
Fill the cupboards with their favourite food, cook their best meals ever and plan the end of the exams with stuff to look forward to.
Tell them everyday… ‘I love you, you make me proud and we’ve got this.’
Close your eyes and remember the day they started reception class. How you were frightened but proud, how momentous the occasion was. Remember that little face running to you with a book bag and half dry paintings that went straight on the fridge.
That child is still in there and now is the time to relax, let go and enjoy your child again. This too shall pass.
One Response
Great advice… ?