Here’s a tip for parents of adolescents who are sitting exams in the very near future:
These exams are their exams, not yours. And it follows that the results are their results, not yours.
Whatever happens, is going to happen.
The best way you can support your adolescents to be their best, and therefore do their best, during this time is to leave them alone.
Leave them alone to let them get on with their work.
After all, it’s their study schedule, it’s their exams.
They can do this.
Which doesn’t mean you are off the hook!
Far from it.
There’s plenty you can do:
- Keep quiet. Keep the noise down around the house, and work your schedule to have any noisier, younger family members out of the house as much as possible during this time.
- Your opinions are not called for. (Unless they ask you.) So keep quiet about those too.
- Sleep helps your brain process information. It’s far more effective to study for an intense few hours and then go to sleep than it is to pull an all-night study effort. Encourage your adolescents to study accordingly.
- Hydration helps our brains work well. Keep a supply of lemons, cucumbers, and mint to sprinkle liberally through their water.
- Have plenty of brain-friendly snacks available: walnuts, fresh fruit, and oily fish all make brain-boosting study snacks.
On the day
Tell them how proud you are of them for putting in their best effort, wish them well and tell them you love them.
When exams are finished
Go out and celebrate! No matter the result, your adolescents have put in the effort. This is an opportunity to acknowledge them and reward their effort.
And your effort too.
They’re worth it. And so are you.
When you are ready to change the way they communicate with your growing children, use this link to book a call and discuss your options.