Tomorrow is the day!

My daughter is taking her very first exam. It is the 11+ test she needs to sit so she can gain a spot in one of the academic secondary schools in the area.

It has been a year of learning and a summer of even more studying. Maths and Verbal Reasoning. A lot of reading and pushing with not much fun. It has been stressful and draining mentally and physically.

Also, not fair on ten year old kids who are supposed to sit an exam that has most questions related to next school year curriculum.

It makes me feel like we are forcing our children to grow up faster than they should. It is the age when they are trying to find themselves, form personalities, friendships, learn to be their own person. They are meant to have fun, not stress over exams.

I look at my daughter and all I want to do is hold her tight and beg her to stop growing. She has been so brave. Somehow I do feel like she has bottled up a lot of stress over this summer. She kept saying she is ok with the exam. Last night though, she told me that she does not want to take the exam. And this was the moment when I realised she kept it all inside so I won’t see just how scared she is. She kept telling me not to stress about it. Just chill, she said. And now I see that maybe she was secretly telling this to herself as well.