Exams affect the whole family. As teenagers bury themselves in textbooks, parents have to behave like saints(圣人), ignoring doubts—is he actually studying up there, or just playing online games? Forget any practical help around the house. “He's sitting at the kitchen table reading the TV guide，” says the mother of a 15-year-old boy. “But when I ask if he can take the rubbish out, he looks very angry and says, ‘But I'm revising'．” Chloe, 16, comes from a large family and finds it is hard to revise. “I become angry easily，” Chloe says.“I camplain to my mum that there's too much noise and too much mess.”
Beyond these practical considerations, parents are confused about how much they should get involved. Some call for expert help. Others buy lots of practice exam papers. But you may use your skills tospuryour children. Anne, 18, admits that the greatest driving force for revision is being in competition with her twin sister. My mother always says my sister is better than me.
Bribery(行贿)is not unknown.“Some parents offer their children material or cash rewards，” says Mike Evans, the author of How To Pass Your Exams. “This may achieve the required result in some cases, but I think it does nothing for the longer-term aim, which I believe is to encourage them to take responsibility for their own personal development.”
“I deal with exam stress all the time，” says an experienced teacher. “Basically, the pupils and I have an agreement to convince the parents that all is going well. Then the parents back off and everything gets better.” Her fantasy solution would keep parents away for six weeks so that they don't pass on pre exam stress to their children.