Tips for calming lo's during flippin' GCSE's!

[MaureenMLove]

AAARRRGGH!!! She's only 3 months into Yr10 and it's started already!

These bloody modules that they do these days for GCSE's! Why oh why do they have to start them so early! She is still only 3 months proper, into GCSE studies and she's doing modules, which are the real thing!

DD has done her French speaking and listening today and basically, she screwed it up. It's fine, she can take it again in the summer. Her teacher has told me that today, but talk about knocking a girl confidence! She now think she's totally useless and won't be able to acheive anything worth having!

Trouble is, I should have seen this coming. She was a wreck when she did her 11+ and I really didn't big that up. In fact, the school I wanted her to go to, didn't require her to pass and she didn't. So not a problem. It's got a grammar stream and she's in it. But she is a nervous wreck!

What can I do, to help her over her nerves? Is there anything medicinal/herbal that anyone can suggest might help her?

We've got 18 months of this and I can't do anymore to assure her, with words, that as long as she does her best, that's fine by me!

[notremotelyintofootie]

Try some rescue remedy and perhaps look at relaxation or mediation exercises or even yoga... She needs to learn to calm herself as she will have years of this ahead! Good luck

[notremotelyintofootie]

Meditation not mediation! Doh!!

[BitOfFun]

My dd (same age) told me this week that her friend's mum had said to her 'Aw, don't worry, as long as you work hard, even if you don't pass, at least you'll do better in the resit because you know what they want'. She seemed to think this was the best approach- acceptance and praise, and good ol' unconditional love.

[cory]

Me too, me too. Dd is only in Yr 9, but is doing first chemistry module tomorrow morning.

Totally unhelpful as she had a breakdown last year - school refusal, hysteria, self-harming- and the last couple of months she has looked as if she might be heading that way again. Whenever she stresses she manages to dislocate something or put her back muscle into spasm (Ehlers Danlos syndrome), so for us it's not a question of whether she passes the exam, it's a question of can I bloody get her out of bed tomorrow morning.

I am so not looking forward to this!

[cory]

She's gone off!!!! I don't care what state her polymers are in or if her nitrogen cycle is working: she did actually walk out of the house and into that taxi!!!! I am so excited!!!

Am taking her out for lunch after the exam as she has a CAHMS appointment in the afternoon anyway.

Dropping subjects wouldn't really be in dd's best interests, maryz as she is very bright and is hoping for university later on- letting her do less would just reinforce the idea that she cannot lead a normal life with her condition= encourage her to spend more time in bed, which makes her worse.

[cory]

tbh I don't care that much about dd's actual results: what she is (I hope) learning is that she can get out of bed when she is terrified and feeling less than 100%. And if she can't be made to learn that, then all the brains and all the learning in the world wouldn't help her.

best of luck to your dd!

[Ineedalife]

I had a disscussion with Dd2's teachers about the exams getting earlier!

Dd2 is one of the oldest in her year but 3 months into a 2 year course she is nowhere near ready o take exams.

She is my most laid back Dd but she has been really stressed.

It made me cross when the teachers all said "Don't worry if she doesn't do well she can take them agian in the summer" Oh yes and she will have a load more to do then.

Why the hell cant they do them when they are 16??

Hope everyones Teens have coped as best they can this week.