Year 12 preparing for AS levels

[HSMMaCM]

Here we are everyone.

Thanks SugarPlum. She's struggling with the pressure of the exams and this has not helped at all

I'm really sorry BTM, that must be very hard. Sounds like it's going to be a difficult week for a lot here, hope you have stocks of and and wishing you all strength.

Hope she is ok bigTilly. Not great timing.

Just checking in as I haven't said hello for a bit.

DS' first AS exam last week went well, he thinks. So that's a huge weight lifted - it never seems quite so bad once the blessed things start, I feel.

He's still on antidepressants; it's the only thing that gets him into school really. But in a hugely better place than this time last year. So I'm grateful for that. Just hope he can hold it together for the next few weeks.

Good Luck to all our DCs!

Thanks! I think it's her that needs the and and possible a little , poor thing!

Glad to hear that, namechange. Crossing my fingers for him as well as any others who find it particularly stressful. It was certainly better last year once the GCSE's started!

namechange I'm so pleased to see this - had been thinking of your DS. Best of luck to him.

I sent DD a little prompt that she has a night free for revising tonight and she sent me this picture. I said she's absolutely right, but it would also be awful to feel she was not adequately prepared for her exams.

Morning all. I've been following the thread daily, it's really helpful to see everyone's ups and downs, and read your wise words.
Dd had her first major meltdown last night, it took dh 40 mins to talk her down, I stayed well clear as I can't say anything right at the moment. She apparently is going to fail everything and end up working in macdonalds
Have any of you got any calming tips? Has anyone used bachs rescue remedy ( I think that's what it's called)

I got rescue remedy for GCSEs and DD refused to use it. I used it instead and found it helpful .

I find myself saying things like

• you can only do your best
• what will be will be
• if this doesn't work out we'll find something else that does
• etc etc

Several times a day.

I also can't say anything right at the moment.Whatever I say is wrong so now I just say well done : but that's still wrong.Dd's swinging between lethargy and frantic revision.Complete with long facetime conversations due to boredom.

Hi namechange, very glad to hear that your DS is coping OK. Hope everyone can sail a steady course through the next few weeks. Good thought that things may be better in a way when they actually start. Apart from Art which was last week DD's start next Tuesday (17th) with Geography, then Maths and second Geography paper on other days next week. Fortunately hers are all fairly well spaced out which should help her quite a bit I think. Not as busy as last year's GCSE's?
Good to see you too dingit Sorry to hear about the meltdown - we have those here sometimes. Just have to ride the storm? x

Thanks for the reminder about Rescue Remedy. We've used it a lot in times of stress. There's two types - lozenges in tins of about 30 (which DS was going through at the rate of about a tin a day this time last year!) and a spray which you spray onto your tongue. The difference is that the spray is in "a grape alcohol solution".

Can't think why, but for my own use I prefer the spray.

I used Aconite for my finals. It's a homeopathic remedy and I don't really believe in homeopathy but it helped and I looked like a drug dealer outside the hall, handing out white pills to everyone.

Sympathies to everyone with DC having meltdowns. I'm waiting for a call from Friend whose DD is having epic ones, she's desperately trying to find a counsellor without a waiting list. Her eldest having meltdowns over A2 is freakish out the youngest sitting AS.

DD going through phases of having a go at me and being really nice.

Liking your words of wisdom HSM, I've found myself saying similar ... that there are always options.
One time I said there's a world of interesting adventures to be had out there in the world but they can always come home and just have a room here. I hope that at the end of the day there's really no pressure - we just want them to be happy and have good and interesting experiences? Anyway they both seemed to like that thought.
Also love how you bought some Bachs rescue remedy but ended up using it yourself! I remember finding that quite calming when a colleague gave me some after I'd been hit by a patient on a psychiatric ward when I was a student nurse. But I think it was probably good just to have someone sit me down for a minute and show me they cared and was allowed a few minutes to get over it. I think I had a good restorative brew as well

I can't say anything right either. I have decided to keep things light and just limit myself to gossip and offers of cups of tea.

It's so true Juggling - we just want them to be happy and have good and interesting experiences. DD is working hard and learning stuff, so it's all good IMO.

BTM just read your post about DD and BF splitting, stressful for you all at any time. I bet it is the stress of exams that has brought it to a had.

We used Rescue Remedy last year and it was great - even if it doesn't work, there is always the placebo effect and DS felt better knowing it was in his water bottle. You can get chewing gum as well.

DS2 said the KS2 SATS reading was very hard (corroborated by my friend who is a TA). He wasn't allowed to wear his watch today for SPAG in case one of the spelling words was 'stainless'

Dd found this website useful for planning and organising her revision around exam time. You can timetable anything you like, add in breaks for just slobbing in front of the tv or whatever.

Ds hasn't bothered with it as he likes a more flexible approach, but some find it calming and reassuring to see that they still have plenty of hours and can break the work into manageable chunks.

God I'm so sick of exams I just want my house back - there are papers and books and a whiteboard in DS1's bedroom, which DS2 has comandeered. I hope he doesn't come home from Uni before DS2 has finished! No space for him

Seriously, we have had 5 years now of important exams and I want a Summer where we can all just enjoy our leisure time instead of mapping out bloody revision timetables.

Horsemad sometimes I regret only having one child and then I read a post like yours and breathe a sigh of relief.

Horse, me too - there are piles of books and papers EVERYWHERE Only 16 days till I can dump all DD's in her room and get the kitchen table back!

3 more years for us, presuming DS does A'levels/BTECs and that they do uni exams away from home!

Me too. I have succumbed to Four more years and counting.

dd3 ignores her desk in preference to the carpet which means her floor is 98% paper and 2% carpet.

Ooh, a whiteboard, there's an idea

< misses point >

But pours a wine from bottle - thanks Littlehum

Littlehum, same in DD's room (well, she hasn't got a desk in there as there's no room, but when she did, she didn't ever use it)

DD has notes/quotes all over her lovely butterfly wallpaper

15 days till it's all over for AS's here!

We took DD's desk away, so she had more floor space to study on. Papers hairs and Guinea pig hay all intermingle.

I've just drafted a really long email for work and lost it so rather than scream, I am calming myself down by looking through the messages here.

I can't believe we have seven - I repeat seven - more years of this hell in this house. One child would have been much easier. Or dogs....more dogs, fewer kids. Although it is a toss up between who is stinkier - dogs or boys (the latter I think!)

Two more days left before study leave and an unbelievable 4 weeks before AS exams are over (9th June), sigh.....