Fellow parents, as exams approach, let’s support our kids, but let’s also remember whose exams they are (hint: not yours!).
Let your child own it, and take the consequences (good or bad) for for his or her efforts. In the words of Danny Silk,
“There is a line of demarcation, and it represents where one life stops and another life starts. If we believe that we can control others or that we should, to demonstrate our great love, then there is no line…if I am to honor your life and self-control, then there must be a line where I stop and you start.”
Are you keeping to your side of the line?
Remember that an exam is a performance, and in order to perform optimally, your child needs:
- Enough sleep: a good night’s rest is more important than a few hours extra cramming the night before;
- Exercise: numerous studies attest to the brain benefits of regular cardiovascular workouts;
- A proper, balanced diet: no amount of nutritional supplements (yes, even those endorsed by Patrick Holford) can replace this; and
- A calm home: your nagging/shouting/screaming only increases your child’s anxiety, which in turn impairs exam performance.
- The right attitude: an exam is not to be feared, but rather to be embraced as an an opportunity to show the teacher what he or she knows.
Good luck