Exams and stress

My 12-year old son is busy preparing for his exams. Rather, we, his parents are busy preparing him for his exams. On one hand, the syllabus is tough. On the other hand, the portions for the final exams include almost all lessons.

Like some of the kids of his age, for my son too Maths is difficult. While I knew about the stress of exams, an incident made me understand the toll it has on kids.

Some days back, during his study time, my son came to me. His father was teaching him Maths. It was about 8pm and I was busy folding the clothes. There were other chores also to be done. He said, “Can I lie on your lap for a while?” I was lost in thoughts and casually said, “Let me finish this, I will take only two minutes”. He stood there waiting. I didn’t really pay much attention. Some time later his father called out to him, “You asked me for a five minutes break! Come back now”. That’s when I realized he was waiting for me to finish my work. His eyes filled and he was about to turn back.

Feeling guilty, I said he could continue his Maths work later. That is, whenever he felt he was ready. He lay on my lap for a while and then said, “Now I feel better. I was feeling so stressed. I think I will finish my work now”. He then went back to his work.

I am sure this is not an incident concerning just my son. This could be a slice of any kid's life. It’s not easy for parents either. But, it made me realize how important it is for us to understand the gravity of stress a student undergoes. I can only hope that every child would get the chance to bloom to his or her fullest without stress.