Thread 25 - Covid Cohort - Christmas Trees, No Omicron Please!

DD’s bedroom is increasingly untidy but it’s usually just strewn with clothes that she rejected in the daily fashion parade before going out. She also has a dressing table covered in make up. But every so often if she has a day at home she’ll tidy it and she’s generally organised and doesn’t lose things.

I think we’ve had this conversation before but we’re pretty laid back generally so they can eat in their rooms and get up/go to bed when they like. They can also change their bedding whenever they like which for ds is every few days! Ds keeps his room pretty tidy - and changes the layout of the furniture every few months! It’s weird, given he’s usually out at the gym daily and Thai boxing 3/4 times a week, he’s been a total slob this holiday, on Xbox all night and getting up really late! He says he’s having a rest and the normal regime will recommence next week!

DS1 and DS2 will both do things around the house when prompted. They change their own bedding now but only when reminded to do it and the both hoover once a week too.
I want to get DS1 to help more in the kitchen in preparation for moving to uni but he’s just not interested, he can make pasta and spaghetti bolognese but that’s about it. Oh and anything you can just shove in the oven too, chips, pizza etc but even then he asks me to check the timings/temperature for him

[quote Heifer]@Piggywaspushed you can borrow my braces to keep said judgy pants up high! Why would you allow a Yr13 DD/DS to go away just before or even worse during mocks? Were the mocks a late surprise or always planned?

@icanbewhatiwant - thanks for the heads up re Attendborough last night. I have recorded it to watch with DH tonight. That's how we rock and roll ;-)[/quote]
Mocks always know about. It's a last minute trip, booked three days ago...

Fruit flies. Bleurgh!

I find I am less tolerant of that habitual disrespect thing that my dc used to all do.. we have ds 26 home saving for a deposit, and he came over all teenagerish when his sibs were here at Christmas. Among other stuff,I asked him to get something from the top shelf and he said get a chair, and then said he would not be helping when I needed some minor tech support. I am quite pleased that , beyond reminding him that we are doing him a favour, I let it go. But I did speak to him in no uncertain terms the next day, and he apologised and explained he had something going on. I am less likely to shout , get upset and feel properly exploited if I keep a fairly low tolerance threshold for rudeness and entitled behaviour. I draw the line at smells, and I will allow 2 days of unlimited sleep after transitions, before insisting that dd is up by 10. It does her no favours if her sleep pattern is disrupted.

Just popping in to happy new year and to thank you all for your advice and expertise this year, it’s been invaluable to me and DS.

I got covid for Christmas and am still isolating so no New Years plans for us, annoying as we did actually have plans with friends this year as none of us needs babysitters any more.
DS has asked to go to a friends but I’ve said no as although his lateral flows are negative, I’m concerned he may have covid from me and spread it to his friends before a positive result comes up. I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do but they all have mocks coming up and I’d feel awful if anyone got covid from us because we weren’t being sensible

@ZittiEBuoni we have a no food upstairs or in the living room rule. Cups of tea allowed. They do take chocolate up though and in the living room. Since they were small we've had Saturday night sweet night. They used to get a bowl of mixed sweets once a week, like Maltesers, revels etc. We have stuck to it...they still come asking for them now. But that's all they can take upstairs food wise. I think they stick to it.

I'm glad we aren't the only ones with messy bedrooms. Ds3 is quite good, he's got a tiny room though, so needs to be tidy. Ds2 has a double bed but not much room round it, as the floor is covered in clothes, books, paper, plastic wrapping from online deliveries etc. I can't actually walk in his room. I stripped the bed earlier and just crunched stuff under my feet. He said earlier that the only day he gets up early I start nagging him to tidy his room. I didn't nag, I just put 2 plastic bags where he was sitting at the table and suggested one for rubbish, one for recycling.

Going to be a quiet NYE for DH and me. DD has gone away until Monday with her boyfriend and his family to an amazing house - v jealous! DS is I think planning to go to a party at a friend's uni flat up in London. Hoping he'll crash there, but he's saying he'll probably come home which means we'll be woken up in the small hours. Glass of vino and the TV for us oldies.

DD doesn't have mocks until after half term, but has been doing some work over the holidays. Has had no formal tests as yet, so really hoping that they will actually happen then in case a levels don't.

My dd is the queen of the messy bedroom. We have had 2 infestations of fruit flies thanks to her chucking apple cores and peach stones under the bed. She insists she doesn't want anyone going into her room, but I insist I don't want effing fruit flies all over the house, so that's a deadlock.

(I have tried the 'no food in the bedroom' rule - she sneaks it up when nobody's looking though.)

I can tell how DD is doing MH wise by looking at her bedroom. Most of the time it's really tidy but sometimes when she is feeling overwhelmed etc its gets messy and she she can't seem to cope starting to tidy. I do step in these days and sort it for her as then she keeps it clean for ages after. It's terrible at the moment, and she seems to be on a low. Hasnt done anything for days (although was isolating so very bored). She is off out tonight and staying at friends so I am going to tidy it ready for her return tomorrow.

@Piggywaspushed you can borrow my braces to keep said judgy pants up high! Why would you allow a Yr13 DD/DS to go away just before or even worse during mocks? Were the mocks a late surprise or always planned?

@icanbewhatiwant - thanks for the heads up re Attendborough last night. I have recorded it to watch with DH tonight. That's how we rock and roll ;-)

An ex colleague of mine whose DD is at DS's school (so mocks mid Jan) has just posted that her DD is going on a 2 week holiday today! (to visit family as it goes). I was a bit .

DS is starting to really worry about mocks but this worry comes out in general moodiness and outright anger at times - how does everyone else support/defuse?

One of mine (DD) is horrendously messy, and resists any attempts to help her organise herself a bit better. DS isn't so bad. They both do "downstairs jobs" fairly well and DS actually volunteers sometimes but DD's room is a complete pit and it does annoy me, if she kept it tidier her stuff wouldn't overflow into the rest of the house. She just won't get rid of anything, 16 soon and still got most of her toys in there.

I won't be going anywhere tonight with my ferocious chesty cough (think chest infection rather than Covid but no tests available anywhere so who knows...the last LFT 2 days ago was negative though.)

DH and DD1 are supposed to be going to MIL's for curry and card games.

DD2 has just - just!! - been invited to 2 NYE parties but both are in the neighbouring town so will very much depend on whether she can get a lift home.

Happy New Year to all on the thread - just think, this is the year the dc (not mine though) will be starting university!

@icanbewhatiwant my DSs both messy and rude, but will do jobs downstairs if asked. It is up to them to keep their bedrooms and bathrooms under control, I only do it if we are using one of their rooms as a guest room. Both happy to walk dog and help with cooking, DS2 will hoover and do recycling if asked and did some washing up unasked a couple of days ago. The rudeness has got better since they had girlfriends as they are more conscious of it

DH does all the hoovering, but not very frequently. I can't really complain about their messy rooms as our basement is just as bad, and that is my fault!

Hey all: looking like it should be a good NYE here: we always go (last year excepted) to a friends house: usually 2 other families. Last year they did it on some and delivered surprises outside our door! this year Ds is joining for the first bit then going onto his own party with mates :-) we will probably finish reasonably promptly after midnight- then plans for a walk on New Year’s Day with family. We were at the theatre last night too: Book of Dust at the bridge: was fab and magical staging (big Philip Pullman fans here!) Hope everyone has a good evening and here’s hoping for a somewhat calmer 2022…

The main issue with DS1 is his ability to break anything and everything. This season's highlights - a borrowed iPhone (because his onw phone is 'broken', and a laptop...

DS2 is much tidier. He doesn't clean his room (nor do I, mind! I am not tidy or clean - path of least resistance...) but he keeps things tidy and does things when prompted, like empty his bin. He is the chief recycling bin sorter and empties waste baskets every week. DS1 does nothing. Nada. Mind you, nor does DH...

I’ll say happy new year now as I’m afraid we are very boring and will probably all be asleep by midnight. Thank you all for your insights, wisdom, support and kindness. This really is the best place on mumsnet .

I didn't realise so many have fireworks New Year's Eve. No one has them round here. We usually watch the London ones on tv if we are awake. DH's cousins always go into London to watch them as they aren't far away. I should think they are amazing to watch.

Ds2 went in the shower this morn. at 8am. He's been getting up late afternoon since he finished school. I asked what had happened to make him get up, but I only got a grunt for a reply. I then went up and stripped his bed as he's been in for 2 weeks and it's not been washed, so he can't get back in now as no sheets. I gave him 2 bags, one for recycling one for rubbish and told him to tidy his room. It smells and i couldn't walk across it. He said no. He doesn't want a tidy room. I haven't vacuumed in there for months and months as I can't get it in the room. I told him I'll turn the internet off if he doesn't do it. His reply was not to treat him like a baby. I will if he doesn't tidy his room. I never ask them to do anything else...just keep their rooms tidy. The rest of the house is kept fairly tidy, so I hate their rooms being messy. I dread to think what ds1 will leave his room like when he returns to norwich later. Are they all like this? Or just mine?

@KingscoteStaff Is that the new production in London? I’ve got tickets so glad to hear it is good.

All our kids are out for NYE and I’ve got roped into driving ds2 & friends to a party miles away... Doubt I will make it to midnight but will see.

We had an amazing evening at Cabaret last night - all 4 of us were bowled over by it! Tonight DD is out with friends, DS made the tough decision of working (double time) over a party and DH and I will have our traditional Chinese takeaway and early night!

We are in, same as usual. DS may stay up later than his usual 9.30 if he is feeling adventurous! He did manage midnight last year for first time as watched the Last Leg. We are watching Grimm in its entirety- again - so DS will want to watch that

DS 1 also has a mate who has tested positive for a second time in a few months. Not a contact, thankfully. Not vaccinated so perhaps not surprising.

We are just all in tonight. We always are tbh, so Covid hasn't done that, just us being dull. Much to DH's annoynance.

DS1's mate has just dropped out of Durham after 2 years, out of nowhere. He is one wo is prone to a few MH issues but it seems sudden and extreme. No other plans...

DD is home after two negative LTFs, so lovely to see her. Her BF is a day or so behind her and first negative yesterday so hopefully out today but spending time with his relative as she was effectively on her own at Christmas and will probably join us next week just before DD’s birthday,

DS perked right up when she arrived which was lovely. She wants to do something Christmasy as feels it has passed her by a bit. Will do Christmas dinner number 3 tomorrow for her and see what I can sort for her birthday.