Things to smile about




Today I am searching for things to smile about.

The sight of my new shoes combined with my purple tights and the pleasing crash of colours certainly makes me smile.




Drinking coffee in the morning sunshine. The sunshine was short lived but the memory of it still makes me smile.

A cake tin full of Blondies, specially requested by my boy.




I am searching for smiles because I am worried. Worried about my anxious ten year old boy who is sitting his Year 6 SATS this week. Dylan has been losing sleep over these exams. It seems to me that a ten year old should not have to worry about such things. It seems to me that sometimes the world is a little crazy and if I am fretting so much about his exam worries at ten then what will it be like when he gets to GCSES. It will take some pretty spectacular shoes and a very great deal of baking to keep us smiling through those.

Comments

Breathe through it! As the mother of grownups, I can remember the Hell of worrying more than they worried themselves, as well as sharing in equal measure. It passes, they get through, you get through - and a whole load more worries queue up!
Cute shoes!!
Linda said…
Oh no. I am so sorry he is so worried. I see some teachers have boycotted the sats which is a good plan to me. My son was lucky and the school he was at really played down the tests which made it easier for all. But I suppose there are tests all along the way at school so practice lessens the stress, hopefully.
Jo's Corner said…
Love the shoes! I know what you mean, my tween sat for the ACT this winter. She did great, and her scores qualified her for advanced Language Art classes at our local college this fall. But the preparation for the test caused much anxiety and lost sleep, too. Seems like so much is expected of our kids at younger and younger ages – it is a hard balancing act.
Arianwen said…
I was always like that about exams and my eldest is the same. All you can do is tell him to do his best. I am making mine do music lessons and exams to get extra exam practise in. Good luck Dylan!!! We are thinking of you.
dottycookie said…
I can see oth sides of the SATs - as a parent I think they're unlikely to give better information than a good teacher can, but as the sister of a secondary school teacher I can see they could provide very useful information.

Either way, I hope he gets through the week fairly cheerfully. Keep baking the blondies and wearing the fab shoes!
Siri said…
I love love love those shoes. Where did you get them?!

Thank you for posting! It is the little things in life that often keep us going. Knitting is one of them. Tea in the morning on the porch whilst reading great blog posts is yet another of many.
rachel said…
Hope you can stay calm and reassuring, and he'll be fine. So sad to see our children anxious though, isn't it.

That's a very characterful look you have going there, with your lovely purple tights!
Robin said…
I love the purple tights and teal colored shoes! I have some fuchsia-colored MaryJanes that I love.

Finding things to smile about is absolutely valuable.

Testing is a stressful venture for kids. I feel certain it will get better as the years pass.
Anonymous said…
anxious kids are heartbreaking. i hope it's all soon over and he feels satisfied with his efforts.
i try to convince the kids i work with that it's their chance to show off all that they can do... don't know if it works though!
LOVE the shoes :)
aww. big hugs to your little guy. that just stinks.

how cute are YOU! i LOVE those shoes! and paired with purple that just makes everything okay!!!
Bethany said…
Thanks for making me smile! I understand as my 12 and 13 year olds just went through testing last month. I just tell them to do their best... that's all they can do. Now that they are over, we've already forgotten!
anne smith said…
i always told my girls - now women - to try to think beyond the current worry - not easy - but sometimes you can come up with something that you can say WILL happen, no matter what, and will be GREAT! good luck to you all - anne
Ali said…
We're on exam week too. I'm downplaying it (but secretly worrying about his 'laid back to the point of horizontal' attitude).

You can't win. Purple tights seems a good step forward, though.
kim said…
If he is nearly as witty as his mum, he will be fine. :)

Cute shoesies!
exams are bleh. We have LOTs of them here :(
but you're right, look for things to smile about ... and pray too ... that helps a whole lot :)
Your shoes are so cute, just wondering what cute outfit you wore with it :)
Willow said…
Teachers don't much enjoy the testing weeks either. How I sympathize with both you and your boy. (And no, ten year olds shouldn't have to feel that much pressure!)
Charity said…
I'm sorry to hear there's so much anxiety over the tests! It's so tough when our babes are worries about something, and we can't just fix it up for them.

And those are FABULOUS shoes!! :o)
kristina said…
Such fabby shoes and tights, coffee and sun, and blondies all seem like very good reasons to smile. And I do think Britain's schooling system puts much too much emphasis on exams. K x
Carolyn said…
Fingers crossed for Dylan. My twin nephews are doing their SATS too and I know their mum is equally stressed by it all.
I can whole heartedly sympathise...my ten year old has his in September - two weeks after they get back. We've had tears, explosions of temper and such frustration and with mock papers this week it is far too much for such young shoulders.

Many fingers crossed,

Nina xx
Gigi said…
Adorable shoes!
And yes, all the stress our littles go through over exams these days is just awful. Although, I'm sure blondies and a kind caring mom like you makes it much more tolerable ;-).
Blessings,
G
p.s. love your circle blanket -- Lucinda G.'s designs are so cute!
Andrea said…
Hi my daughter is sitting her SATs this week, she doesn't seem too bothered. I keep telling her to try her best and not to worry about them. I am sure your son will be fine. The secondary schools will test them again in September and don't really use the SATs results. (some of my friends teach at secondary schools). I love your shoes and have been looking for some like that for ages, could you tell me where you got them? Andrea x
Anonymous said…
Love the shoes and tights! I have a lovely dress they would go very nicely with, don't suppose they come in 'small ocean going liner' size do they?

Sorry for Dylan, poor thing. I used to love exams, something to do with a fiercely competitive nature maybe? However I just know I'm going to hate it when the kids are going through them. Keep smiling and baking.

Kate x
Unknown said…
it's the hardest part of parenting... standing back and watch, unable to fight their battles for them...

Love the tights and shoes... (and fingers crossed for the exams!)
Shelley in SC said…
That is rough. Yes, sometimes it does seem as though 10 year-old boys should be running through the woods and fishing and tumbling with their dog rather than stressing over examinations!
Jane said…
oh yuck! We just went through our state tests and my 10 yr. old was very anxious. Not right indeed! Ten year olds should be having fun learning not stressing about it all.
+marzipan+ said…
When my children were at that stage I used to tell them that it wasn't so much about their progress (or not) but a test to see how well (or not) the teacher is teaching. I rather think this has more of a ring of truth to it anyway. It seemed to ease the pressure if nothing else.
Good Luck to you both x
Lucille said…
Still worrying. The last set of A- levels are upon us, then one more degree I expect, and my tights and shoes are clashing ever more wildly.
alice c said…
Just had a Skype call with MasterM who is starting his first set of University exams. He looks anxious and so I feel slightly sick with worry. It's a long haul you know.
Thimbleanna said…
Those shoes are...well, delicious! I love your color combo -- now I'll be on the hunt for some similar cute shoes.

I don't know how your education system works, but I suspect it's similar to ours and the pressure on kids these days is unbelievable. I've struggled with the same feelings you're having -- only my boy is grown now and in med school. Fortunately he's married -- I don't think I could live with the stress of watching him spend the best years of his life squirreled away studying for exam after exam, barely seeing the light of day. It's so hard for me to see that the end will ever be worth all the stress. It's enough to make you want to move to a desert island where you only have to worry about where to find the next coconut! ;-)

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