Is it wrong to be 'average'?

[THOscar]

Originally Posted by Jan

As far as everyone going to uni is concerned, I blame a past government for that. It was the one way of getting the unemployment figures down.

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It's a completely incorrect statement too. Only 40% of 18 year olds have gone on to higher education and this number is pretty steady over the last few years.

[Posiesmum]

Originally Posted by JLH

I am dreading GCSE results day just because of a lady I work with she will ask how my son did (her son is in same year same school) and I will reply he did ok (even if he didnt ) then a day later she will ask again and so on . All she really wants to know is did her son do better than mine and I wont play that game! Its been going on for years and I hate it !

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I’m always amazed that people put their children’s grades on Social media - I don’t think we ever did for our daughter. I just assumed no one would be interested!

[snowbelle]

I am an “average” did pretty rubbish at school , took easy subjects useless at maths .

Had a few jobs drifted , travelled ...

Two years ago retrained
Three months ago was offered a job without even a interview

Today I passed a 7.5 hr practical exam in demonstration of food law

I’m 51 .. I love being average

Your son is amazing , as long as he’s happy , well adjusted and healthy .. who cares what the stealth boasters say .. who even knows if it’s all true 😃your son is never average .

[Hopefulholiday]

My children are not exceptional (except to me &#128513, dd just completed her GCSEs and Ds his A- Levels after having repeated yr 12. I have lots of friends whose children are exceptional either academically or sports wise eg competing nationally, winning scholarships etc and sometimes I wonder if we did something wrong 😂 I also know lots of people whose kids are just like mine, normal teenagers.
They both seem happy and can relate well to other people and I hope they both find a job that they like and that pays a reasonable wage, as I think that is really important. I used to worry but that doesn’t change anything so we just try to guide as best we can.

[parisdisneyfan]

Short answer NO! He is giving his best and he is happy, do not be swayed by the playground mafia. I valued doing their best over actual results for my 2. Let him enjoy being a kid, they have to grow up and be competitive for jobs, uni etc way too soon.

[Mexy02]

We are awaiting a level results and after seeing what pressure was put on them I really don’t care what results he gets . He would like to go to uni but it’s not the be all and end all , but come results day it will be just as it’s always been . There’s always a different choice in life and as long as he’s happy then so am I . You can’t get more average than myself straight c’s in all GCSEs but I have a happy home and life , that’s enough for me.

[Nicksgirl]

Your boy is amazing... sod the rest.

He is so lucky to have such a wonderful mum. xxx

[Mickie]

Yes dont worry about it. There are some competitive parents in my son’s class too. Who knows what average is who knows what good is who even knows what truely happy is?

It’s the last one I hope my son finds. I have no idea where he will find it! Academically he is pretty average in many other ways he is very special, but he’s had to work hard to even get to average I’m very proud of him..

Time for a quote!

Don't waste time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself

[DonnaD]

I detest the focus on academic achievement and tests. My brother and I both did extremely well at school but most of it was due to natural ability. We can read things and understand them the first time and remember what we need to for exams. If society suddenly decided that music, art, foriegn languages and sports were more important than Maths, History, and Literature I would have been a failure. My husband really struggled at school and left at 16. He did an apprenticeship and has owned a successful business for over 30 years despite having zero qualifications.

[anna68]

Me and my husband are very academic and achieved a lot at school. We have a dd8 who is the same as you soon, achieving expectations against age. All I really care about is if she is happy. It’s really hard sometimes but there are so many more important life skills than grades in maths English science etc. I’d far rather she have secure friendships, be comfortable in her own skin & resilience.