College & Careers

Two sons a year apart, so a board exam every March for the next three years

juniper_lantern_5449

The elder one is starting class 11 and the younger one class 10. I sat down with a calendar last night: class 10 boards next March, then class 12 boards plus entrances for the elder the year after, then the same again for the younger. After that, two college fees overlapping for at least three years. The money side I can plan. What I can't imagine is how the house will run. Every single year one of them is in an exam year and the other gets told to keep it down. Anyone with kids this close who has been through it? Did you plan coaching, tuition and holidays for both together, or just take it a year at a time? 🙂

5 comments

  • cedar_tiffin_3859

    Not the same situation, but from my shop side. Every June I see parents buying two laptops in the same week because both children need one for the new class. If you can, buy one a year early. It spreads the cost and the elder one can pass his old one down later. Small thing, but it adds up.

  • lagoon_sandal_2087

    one boy and the house is already on exam mode 3 yrs straight 😅 stagger the coaching if you can. two kids, two batches, two ends of the city = you driving every evening

    • sunny_chai_860

      the driving bit is real. we have one and i spend more time in the car with him than anywhere else. it's also when he actually talks, so i mind it less than i expected

  • maple_harbor_81

    My son is only 5, so I am far from this. But writing every year's expenses in one notebook helped us a lot with his therapy costs. When it is written down, the scary part becomes smaller. Maybe the same works for two boys.

  • mango_balcony_1110

    I teach younger children, but I see this with siblings in my school every year. The one who isn't in an exam year often gets forgotten, and they notice. During our daughter's class 10 year we kept one evening a week with no studies for anyone in the house. It sounds small, but it was the evening everyone looked forward to.

    • moss_peacock_1411

      Nice idea, one free evening for everyone. Mine are only 4 and 1, but the gap is close, so I am keeping this in mind. My husband works in a bank and keeps telling me to start separate savings for each child from now itself.

    • juniper_lantern_5449

      Replying to @moss_peacock_1411

      Your husband is right, separate pots helped us too. I only wish I had started the second one earlier.

  • teal_sandal_2724

    I see this every year at school. The approach that works best is that nobody stops living for the exam year. The younger one should not be asked to give up his sport or his friends because his brother has boards. Plan holidays around the board dates, which come out well in advance, and treat the rest as an ordinary year.

    • saffron_tiffin_8724

      Agree about not asking the other one to give things up. Even with one child, the 'quiet house' rule last year was hard on us adults. It made everything feel heavier than the exam itself.

    • juniper_lantern_5449

      That's useful, thanks. The younger one plays tennis four evenings and I was already wondering whether to cut it next year. Will leave it alone for now 🙂

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