Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

How can I raise GCSE concerns with my ex constructively?

5 replies

Goflyakite79 · 23/05/2026 19:13

I have spent many years playing very nice with my ex who against all initial expectations has been very present to our DS and reliable over the years with various things.
Being the product of very hostile divorced parents, I didn't want that for my son and have tried to put previous aside disagreements and have maybe picked my battles and sometimes swallowed things where maybe I shouldn't have.
All good, we get on very well superficially and DS is well adjusted, doesn't remember us together, etc.

But .... I am hugely peri menopausal and am finding it more difficult to tolerate his idiocy and poor decisions especially when it affects my child.
Or am I making too big a deal of it?
DS is 15, in the midst of GCSE's yet whenever he's at his dad's, they are on excursions or trips with no opportunity to study. Even when they're at home. Instead of offering encouragement, he's getting them to watch whatever boxset they are on at the minute. Just feels like he wants to be his mate (or sabotage him) rather than supporting and encouraging him and I feel so frustrated by it!!

dS is really clever, did really well in mocks but I think now is not the time to coast or relax

How do I deal with this assertively but not damage 10 years of delicate dealings?!
(Exh does not take any kind of criticism well!)

OP posts:
Whyarentyoureadyyet · 23/05/2026 19:17

How much time does he spend at his dad's? Is it 50/50?

Goflyakite79 · 24/05/2026 09:24

Whyarentyoureadyyet · 23/05/2026 19:17

How much time does he spend at his dad's? Is it 50/50?

He is there every other weekend and one night in the week. A little bit more in holidays.
The last 3 day weekend just before the exams started, he took them in days out, meeting friends etc and DS has about 2 hours to study.
Enraging!!

OP posts:
Littletreefrog · 24/05/2026 09:28

I wouldn't upset the apple cart over this. As long as he is doing a decent amount of revision when he is with you the down time with his Dad shouldn't be the end of the world grades wise. Yes it's frustrating and he should be supporting revision but I wouldn't cause a huge drama especially as that won't help your DS whilst he is in the middle of exams. Is he still at school or on study leave? My DS is still going to school during GCSEs and isn't doing much more than an hour a day revision at home.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Solasum · 24/05/2026 09:28

I think it would come better from DS than you. He can say the school guideline is however many hours a day, and suggest the timetable he wants to do this on, then suggest things they can do afterwards each day

Sirzy · 24/05/2026 09:32

I don’t see anything wrong with having some downtime. Too much focus on the exams risks burnout.

if he wants to do some revision when he gets back from trips out he can.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread