Exams do not cause stress, says Adam Khoo. Rather, it is your child’s response to the exam that causes stress. A kid with a positive attitude is likely to cope better and achieve higher grades in the exams than a child who thinks: “I can’t do it.”
Look for signs that he is not coping well, says Dr Ng Pan Wei (That's me). Don’t brush off any behaviour that’s out of character. Your alarm bells should start ringing if he is sleeping more than usual, becomes very irritable, throws tantrums or asks questions that seek reassurance, such as “Can I get this score?” or “What if I do not do well?”
Adam suggests encouraging your child to use positive self-talk that will lead to an optimistic attitude. Get him to say “I’ll do it” instead of “I’ll try”, and “I plan” instead of “I hope”.
Do some soul searching yourself, too. Are you the cause of his stress? Don’t give him the impression that exam results are the be all and end all. Focus more on his behaviour and not the results, and assure him that he is a success as long as he tries his best. Make sure he knows that you love him no matter how well he does.
(to be continued…)
Of course you need to get a copy of Young Parents. 8-)
No comments:
Post a Comment