Oh no, it’s that DREADED time of year. How can it be the most wonderful time of the year and the most dreaded time, all at once? It’ll tell you, it’s exam time. Again.

If you have a college or high school student, you know what I’m talking about. Even though I’m not taking the exams, somehow, our household gets turned upside down when it’s exam time. We all feel the pain. Misery likes company, and I guess, Zoe wants us to all feel her pain. Midterms are especially hard, because who wants to be studying for a test while getting excited about the holiday season? There are a lot of distractions this time of year, especially for our kids.

Zoe, my Tenth grader, would rather be sipping a peppermint latte and listening to holiday music instead of preparing for exams. I don’t blame her. I want her to do this also. She’d be a lot more fun to be with, if she didn’t have tests to focus on. Cumulative tests that each count twenty percent of her semester grade. I guess it was like this when I was in high school, but I don’t remember the details. I must have blocked them from my memory.

“Just hang in there,” we keep telling her, “Only one more week of pain before the winter break.” She and her friends are doing a great job of making studying as fun as possible, and study together in groups, take breaks, and at least get to do it together. Again, misery likes company.

There are a million distractions. As parents, we have to help our kids stay focused, just for a little longer, and then they can sleep late, relax, and play with us. I’m just as excited as she is, to have a break from the normal routine, packing lunches, and going to sports events. We all need a change from our daily routines, and the winter break is the perfect opportunity to chill with your family, spend some quality time together, and forget the normal routines of the school year.

If you have kids studying for exams, I hope they do well. And afterwards, I hope you enjoy a couple of weeks together, just taking a break and relaxing.

Find meaning each day,

Dara

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