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Think GCSEs are hard? Try a hot teen summer

Think GCSEs are hard? Try a hot teen summer

Times14-07-2025
That old adage about parenting — that the challenges get bigger as our kids age — it's true. If you thought the baby stage was tough, just wait until they finish Year 11. Because although we parents are well versed in GCSE stress, few of us are prepared for what comes next. Trust me when I say GCSEs are the easy bit.
During exams I was bowled over as my son and his peers demonstrated deep wells of resilience, motivation and hard work. Alas, this new-found maturity evaporated the moment the invigilator called time on the final GCSE. After all that effort, there's a feeling among his circle that they're owed the best summer of their lives. This translates as two and a half months of unbridled hedonism, where my parental control is limited to tracking him on the Find My app. Like the feisty neighbourhood ginger tom, he has covered a surprising amount of territory in our corner of London, and at all hours too. But at least knowing where he is gives me a degree of security.
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