00:00So do you think you should help your kids? Do you help your kids? Have you helped your kids?
00:04Has it got you into trouble?
00:05In my situation, I think you shouldn't help your kids.
00:09Because, you know, look, I'm old school, especially with maths.
00:12I'm one of those people back in the days, you know, you'd borrow from the neighbour, if you know what
00:15I mean.
00:16You know when you're doing your little maths and you're...
00:17Borrow the one, yeah.
00:19And my son came home at one time and I was like, oh, I'm going to help him.
00:22I'm going to do it old school. The new way you're learning is not right.
00:25He did it and took it to school and they were like, we need to talk to you about your
00:29son's maths.
00:30Now, I worked in my health team, but after a little while, I was honest and said, look, I just
00:34don't understand the homework.
00:36So you admitted it, was it?
00:37I admitted it, because you weren't the best for him, isn't it?
00:39I didn't know what they were doing, even though he was only eight at the time.
00:43But I went into the school and I was honest and then, you know, I was just there with two
00:49teachers sitting down on an eight-year-old's little seat at the table,
00:54learning how to do their maths.
00:57Yeah, but do you know what?
00:58But actually, that's not, if you think about it, that's not a bad idea, because I'm terrible at maths.
01:04So, you know, from primary school, I couldn't do Jack's maths.
01:07So I wouldn't have minded, actually, if they'd have said, do you want to come in and, you know, we'll
01:11maybe do a maths morning or something.
01:12Yeah, I ran to the school.
01:14I needed to learn.
01:15Because the reality is you want the best for them, isn't it?
01:18And if I can't do it, then, yeah, don't do what I do.
01:21Well, no, I tried to do that at the school that my daughter was at, because my maths is just,
01:26well, it's just non-existent.
01:27And I was having, I mean, I couldn't help her at all right from day one.
01:30So I said to the teacher on one of the parents' evening, I said, what about if I kind of,
01:33could I come and learn something with her?
01:35And then we're learning along by side of the session.
01:36And she went, oh, no, no, no, no, you can't do that, because she'll see that you've made a success
01:42of your life and you didn't, and you hadn't studied and you hadn't, which I thought was really warped.
01:47I was really upset about that, actually.
01:49But I am really strong, I've got really strong feelings on this.
01:52I think there should be zero homework right through primary school.
01:57We never had homework in primary school.
01:59We used to get home.
02:01Do you know what I used to do?
02:02I used to read the books that I loved to read.
02:04I used to play with my friends, and then, you know, what age do you leave?
02:08Ten, primary school?
02:09I think, and I remember being really excited about homework in secondary school.
02:14And, you know...
02:15It's so stressful for family and friends, isn't it?
02:17Way too stressful.
02:18It's not just stressful for the kids, it's stressful for the parents, and you're trying to make them do their
02:21homework and they don't want to do it, and you're trying to have family time.
02:24And you want to have family time, exactly.
02:26Yeah, but remember, I've come from a school where I, with my children, it was more a thing of, I
02:32used to buy them little books.
02:34That you used to see advertised on telly, this can help, and this can help.
02:37And I would do that before they would go to preschool.
02:40So I thought, when they go to school, then the teachers are there, they can help them.
02:43And if they have any questions, then I want to be able to give them that assistance.
02:48But most of the time, to be honest, I couldn't sit on the little chairs when you go to the
02:52schools, let alone to do the homework, the maths and stuff.
02:55It was quite complicated.
02:56So I would kind of try and find a way of educating myself while I'm educating.
03:00If I didn't know, then you, because my kids were always asking, why, why, why?
03:04Why don't you know?
03:05But then, Nadu, you homeschooled.
03:07Because I went to parents' evening.
03:08We started talking about this this morning.
03:09So I went, oh, God, I had to go to parents' evening, and Jack's about to do A-level.
03:13So it all gets very serious, doesn't it?
03:14And there's so much work.
03:16And I always do that slight, you know, not a lecture exactly, but I think I try and see it
03:20as more encouragement.
03:21I'm going, right, Jack, you know, this is it now, kid, you have to knuckle down.
03:24And inside, I'm going, you're such a hypocrite.
03:28So I'm really torn.
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