We’ve all had that dream of being in an examination hall again, an explanation could be that the nervous energy of the long-drawn hours seems to have embedded itself in our subconscious. With exam season in full-swing, thousands of parents and children across ages are experiencing nervousness, and sleepless nights. While the range of negative emotions can be wide, the suffering is almost universal and impacts performance. The role of parents becomes critical in providing sound counsel, communicating that results aren’t the only determinant of their worth, and ensuring that young adults do not find themselves overwhelmed.

Dr Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi, parenting coach and educator, founder at Get Set Parent explains, “It is common to assume that exam stress is an isolated bout of fear and anxiety that a child feels in the exam room. Parental instincts and actions play an instrumental role in recognising stress among children during exams time and working towards creating a safe and comfortable environment for them. If you see your child acting out, communicate with them. Try and understand the problems they are faced with. Every child has a different force driving them, just like adults. As parents, we can seed the drive carefully by providing exposure, talking to them and fuelling their inherent strengths. Two children from the same family can be completely unique in their ways, with different fires fuelling their passion.”