A Parent’s Survival Guide to Revision and Exams #GCSE #ParentingTips #Humour

A Parent’s Survival Guide to Revision and Exams #Parenting #Stress

On Monday 14^th May the Secondary School GCSEs begin here in the UK. I’ve blogged about this very topic twice when my sons sat their exams, and now the time has arrived for my daughter to do the same.

I’m not blogging about the stress and strain on our youngsters as they study hard, worrying about the process, and pondering on their fragile future, no, this post is aimed at the thousands of parents and guardians who have to live in the same house as their teenagers! Yes, I’m sharing it once again. A parent’s survival guide to exams and revision.

Everything has changed. The world is a very different place for our sixteen-year-old and, of course, your teen will never believe that you were also sixteen once. They truly believe you were born in your forties! I hope the following guide is of some help and that we all make it through alive – good luck to you all.

• Ensure the fridge is fully stocked. You may have survived on three meals a day, but your teen requires five meals, twelve snack breaks, and a weekly takeaway.
• Stock up on A6 sheets of paper, highlighters, and Blu-Tac – be prepared to find the walls of your living room, kitchen, bathroom and hall covered in mind maps.
• Set aside an equipment drawer and fill it with new black pens, pencils, rulers and a spare calculator. The night before they sit their first exam you WILL be told that all these items have been mislaid.
• Herd all other siblings and the elderly to another part of the house to avoid any TRI’s (tantrum-related-injuries).
• Approach with extreme caution when you explain to your teen that ten-minute revision, followed by forty-five-minute rest is not what the teacher had in mind when they said ‘take regular breaks.’
• FIFA 18 does not count towards PE revision, no matter what they tell you.
• When your sulky, withdrawn teen arrives at a melt-down point, be ready to tell them to suck it up and get on with it, but at no point utter the words ‘back in my day…’
• Pull the plug on the electricity at 11 pm telling your teen there must be a power cut. Shrug your shoulders (they understand this universal action) and manoeuvre your teen to bed suggesting they take advantage of an early night.
• Use all the willpower you can muster to avoid nagging about revision – you can lead a horse to water…
• Forget everything you remember about being sixteen. Save yourself the ridicule and eye rolls by letting your teen believe they are the first of their species to sit an exam.
• Your role as a parent is about to be tested – remember to offer plenty of support, and when (if) the devil horns on your teens head shrink momentarily, go in for an occasional hug and remind them you love them no matter what.

Good luck to all the parents and guardians out there who are living through this exam stage. My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this difficult time.