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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Big row. Festival or GCSE results? Is DS BU or me?

131 replies

slambang · 18/03/2013 21:26

The scenario: Ds (16) is going to a festival with friends in August. (Borrowing money from me and paying me back from his paper round.) He's sensible, hard working, aiming high.

The issue: Festival proper starts Thursday but friends (also yr 11) are buying early bird tickets to get to festival on Wednesday (best camping spots, unsigned acts playing). Ds wants to go early too. But the Thursday is GCSE results day.

I say DS should go to festival on Thursday after picking up his results. He can meet friends there. I will take him if there's no lift to share. He should be keen to find out his results.

Ds says his results are not going to change if he doesn't collect them until the next week. He doesn't need to know them immediately. He wants to go on the Wednesday.

(This is the polite version and I'm trying to be fair to both sides. Swear words were used. Wink)

Jury please!

OP posts:
Snugglepiggy · 19/03/2013 14:45

YABU especially as you say he is sensible ,working hard and aiming high.Despite the tosh trotted out each year about exams being easier and results being dumbed down I think our teenagers are under immense pressure these days compared to the halcyon days of the 70 s when I did my O levels.

We have seen there sensible, hard working and aiming high DCs through their GCSES As and degrees .When they did get a chance to relax and let their hair down I was relieved for them.And me - got the out of the house!Our youngest did exactly the same and went to,a festival when results came out.
She already felt she had worked as hard as she possibly couldn't and had a place to go for her As.
A level results are different if you think it's touch and go and they may need to sort out clearing.But GCSES let the lad go.

Original poster
slambang · 19/03/2013 19:59

Update time:

Well, I have been persuaded by the almost completely unanimous call that IAB just a teeny tad U. So tonight I told ds that pehaps I had jumped to the wrong decision and if he wanted to go early that was fine.

Ds's response: Oh, I'm not bothered really. I'll see what the rest of my friends are doing. Confused He's so laid back he really can't have my genes

And to answer a few questions - yes, it's Reading-Leeds. Yes, the reason I thought he would collect his results was I had imagined the meeting friends at school - tears and jumping in the air shenanigans etc that are in the paper each year and then off to the festival to celebrate or commiserate. I feel he's missing out on an 'experience'. But take the point that he's missing out on more of an experience if his friends are already knee deep in mud. Yes they are his results and for that reason I'm not keen on the idea of opening them for him.

And Everlong , I'm a bully? Really? Did you mean to sound so rude?

OP posts:
mumblechum1 · 19/03/2013 20:06

Good call OP [smile}

this year DH and I will be on holiday when DS's A levels come out and he'll be in Magaluf so we're going to celebrate the end of exams in June instead of the results.

exoticfruits · 19/03/2013 21:41

I have to say that I would hate to wait- I could never sleep the night before!

Wossit · 19/03/2013 21:45

It had to be Reading. I did the same, I went to my school with my tent on my back and picked them up enroute to Reading.

That was one of the best times of my life, I hope my boys do the same (going to RF, not the same exam results, mine were shit).

fluffywhitekittens · 19/03/2013 22:01

My mum would say yanbu. I know this for a fact because I was not allowed to go on holiday, abroad not a sodding campsite in The UK like every family holiday, for free yes that's right no cost to us, with my friend and her family, just in case I didn't get a C in my GCSE maths and therefore needed to be at home for some kind of emergency sixth form trauma discussion

I would say YABU because I may theoretically still hold this against her. and would have had some photos of me looking tanned in a bikini when I was a slim 15 year old

We all got results by post so didn't go into school back in those days either.

And yes I did get c in maths and did the A levels of my first choice.

And I know you've admitted to being a bit U and your son doesn't really seem to be bothered but I am still so pissed off I missed that holiday 25 a few years ago that I need to share :)

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