As a parent, it can give you sleepless nights for years, school-age children. Especially in puberty when the interests of your blood are not with their studies. But sooner or later, there will come a time when they pass school. Have your children already passed their exams? Or do you have one in your exam year this year? As a parent, you can also be quite upset about that. Luc is taking his final exams this year and Joyce is already finding it exciting!
Even if they stand enough for every subject, it remains nerve-wracking:will they pass at the end of the year? That is exciting every year, but especially with the final exams ahead of us. Many a parent is even more concerned about it than the children themselves. But once the time has come – after all that effective learning – you really have reason to celebrate. How will you celebrate passing the exam? And, actually a much more important question:what will they actually do when they have that much-promised diploma in their pocket? Making the right study choice is not easy!
Table of contents
Is it time, can the flag finally go out? There is a good chance that you as a parent are also ready for a party after all that tension. And of course you are very proud that your child did it. Definitely a reason to take a moment to reflect on this special moment!
Do your children already know what they want now? After they pass the exam? In the run-up to and during their senior year they are fully prepared for this by school, but there are too many children who even then do not know exactly what they want. Not so strange of course, because they are still so young.
Children are fully prepared for their future at school. And as a parent you are of course also very busy with it. Because after you have passed your exam, it really only starts. Then they can focus on what they find interesting. But no matter how fascinating the new study may seem, there are always downsides to it. So try to orientate yourself extensively. An open day at a training institute provides a lot of information, but of course you often hear the positive sounds there too. For example, try to get in touch with students who are already following the course. Or let your child walk along for a day, that also gives a better idea of what studying really means.
No matter how well you want to prepare them for it, making the right study choice is not easy. Especially not if your child has absolutely no idea what he or she wants to do when he or she grows up. What then?
The first tip for parents in the final year:try to guide your child, but without taking the lead. It won't help if you keep pushing. And the next tip:don't focus on what you think is the perfect study for your child. In the end, they really have to want it for themselves, and no mother (or father) is going to drag them through a few years of study that they absolutely don't feel like.
Finally, don't forget that the study your child chooses if he passes his exam is not everything that determines the profession they eventually get. Of course it sends them in a certain direction, but there are now very few people who actually enter and continue working in that sector. The most important thing is that children can develop through their studies. But how they actually develop can really go in all directions.
It can sometimes cause a lot of frustrations and tensions, that uncertainty about the future of your children. And don't forget, even though our children are no longer that small, this is a really exciting period for them too. In the coming years they will discover themselves and grow up step by step. Time to let them go very carefully so…
It is important that you continue to communicate openly with your children. I know, that is sometimes not easy with such a closed teenager. Step on the brakes every now and then if you need to; silence also gives room to think. And that is important for everyone when it comes to the future, and that of our children.
It probably sounds like music to most teenagers:take a gap year after a successful exam! The term alone means to many parents (and young people) the same as a long-live-the-fun year. But with a specific travel purpose in mind, you can also make it a very instructive year. And for teens who have absolutely no idea what they want to do with their future, it's a wonderful way to get to know themselves.
For example, they can study abroad for a year after they have passed their exam. Not necessarily the study they eventually want to follow, but very good for their development. For their social ability, and their language skills. Moreover, they are guaranteed to learn a lot about themselves during this adventure. And that is perhaps the very best preparation for their future!
Joyce told me that she also finds it quite exciting this year. In terms of figures, things look good for the time being, but being really busy with a course of study… apparently that's not quite in the cards for Luc yet. She probably already has a nice printed flag from DVC in the cupboard to celebrate when Luc has passed his exam, because you better be positive about it, right?
