Parenting

The Big Wan swapped from a Maths Higher to French last week, without consultation. This caused a sharp intake of breath from both his parents, but may prove to have been for the best.

It's pretty stupid (in my opinion) to initiate the Higher Maths syllabus with differential calculus, which can scare off all but the most gifted students. And when it comes to Maths, some cats got it and some cats ain't. Thus, Big Wan can attain a better mark in French (while coasting) than in Maths with hot-housing. Logically, swapping subjects can only help him get best marks this year. Plus, Big Wan did raise concerns about the Maths Higher with both me and the Nazi Papa, and received from us only exhortations to 'work harder'.

So I'm accepting BG's decision on dropping Maths, and so- to his credit- is Nazi Papa. In recent conversations, NP and I are getting healthily close to a united policy on our teenage menace: give the laddie a tap of the whip but also a bite of the carrot.

I wouldn't be so vain as to imagine this softening is due to anything I said. More likely is that NP's apprehended and respected Big Wan's action for what it was: a statement of autonomy. The beneficial effects of this may be far-reaching, because NP and I could maybe now form a temporary coalition of convenience, much like an Italian government. Already, the new Popular Parent Front is quietly machinating so Big Wan will want to do a Maths Higher next year...