Parents Queries
Should I allow my child to go out during the exam period?
How can I know if my child is doing enough revision?
How can I help my child to study?
Make sure that your child has a place to study before exams. If there are other youngsters in the house, try to keep them away, or keep the noise down. It's difficult sometimes because of family conflicts. Tea and sympathy are good for revising children; be there when they need somebody to talk. Be a bit more flexible than previously, and be understanding because they are going through a difficult time - and so are you of course. Generally speaking, I would say to parents to be seen and not heard, to help their children to study.
When should I discuss revision with my child?
I suppose the pundits would say that you should have a relationship with your children right throughout their life, but it's not always like that. There are periods when that relationship might not be as good as it should be, and you might find it difficult to discuss revision. Certainly the wrong time to be doing it is just in the lead-up to the exams. If you start having battles over them going out for an extra evening - "You were out the night before. When are you going to do your studying?" and "You haven't been studying long today". The truth of the matter is that you don't know whether they're revising once they go up to their room. What you need to avoid is having a conflict, where there's an argument between you and the child over revision. Basically, this is you trying to assert your position. All effort will go into the battle as to whether they can go out this evening or not, rather than concentrating on the examination. Nobody will win that situation.
