How not to be a Soppy Mum.

As your child disappears into the class room on the morning of the first eleven plus examination you may feel you just have to shout a last minute piece of advice.

There will have been lots of other mothers and fathers, all willing their children on to greater things.

You don’t want to appear too soppy in front of all the other parents - but you do want to do something special. Why not shout:

`Sturdy Oboe!’

No one but you and your child will know that the words are an anagram of `Do your best!’.

You could follow with a loud: `Bona fortuna!’ - which we all know is good luck in Latin. This will impress all the other parents and make them envious of your child. They will be saying: `What a lucky child to have parents as educated as that.’ They will drive away in their lovely big cars muttering:

`Sturdy Oboe, Bona fortuna.’

`That was not in any of the 11+ papers. I told you we should have bought that extra set.’

When they pick their child up after the examination they will not be saying:

`Hello dear, was it all right?’

They will ask anxiously:

`Did sturdy oboe, bona fortuna come up?'