DR MAX PEMBERTON: This is what NOT to say if your teen fails their GCSEs - and why now is when your parenting REALLY matters By Dr Max Pemberton For The Daily Mail Published: 20:49 EDT, 18 August 2024 | Updated: 20:54 EDT, 18 August 2024 e-mail View comments Thinking back to our adolescence, most of us recoil at the horror of it all. Hormones all over the place, a body that seems out of control, uncertainty about what you want in life and where you fit in the big scheme of things. Few of us would choose to go through all that again.
Particularly if you consider you’d also have to relive the horror of exams all over again. Last week, the media was full of lovely stories of students celebrating their A-level successes, but for every happy picture, there will be other teenagers currently in despair, their hopes and plans overturned by disappointing results. The story will be repeated this week with GCSE results too.
No matter what well-meaning family and friends may say about exams not being the be-all and end-all, for many youngsters this may be the first big hurdle they have faced – and it can seem overwhelming. Last week, the media was full of lovely stories of students celebrating their A-level successes, but for every happy picture there will be other teenagers currently in despair, their hopes and plans overturned by disappointing results But how can you best help as parent if your child is struggling with bad news? It’s important to remember that your role is not on.