Helping your child through exam time

Find out how to guide your child in times of stress…

Children aren’t known for coming forward about their problems.  Sometimes it can feel as though they don’t want to talk to you about anything. There are lot of reasons why your child might be bottling things up but a new poll shows that the main reason young people don’t share their worries is embarrassment. 

Over half of young people feel too embarrassed to talk to their parents about their problems according to new research from the NSPCC. 61% of 11 – 16 year olds said they wouldn’t talk to their mum or dad about a small problem and 47% said they wouldn’t talk to them about a big problem either. Almost half also said they won’t say anything if they’re upset because they ‘can’t find the right words.’

Even though kids can be reluctant to open up, this doesn’t mean that they don’t need your help. 3 in 10 children in the UK keep all of their problems to themselves and nearly 1 in 10 say they never have anyone to confide in, yet almost all the children polled said they felt better when they talked about their problems

Exam time is the most stressful period for young people, and with the exam timetable already mapped out your child could be really feeling the pressure.  You can’t force your child to talk to you, but there are still things you can do to make sure they don’t feel alone with their problems.   

Click below to listen to an exclusive podcast offering advice for young people about how to cope, featuring Ben Thompson from Coronation Street talks about his involvement with ChildLine

For more information visit www.childline.org.uk