Christmas half term - Year 13 (another original thread title!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Carrying on from previous thread

I'm so rubbish with thread titles. Anyway...

This time last year there was lots of chat about tests/exams/mocks at this point. Are there fewer of them, or is everyone more chilled about them?

Fantasy and chocolate DD is not going to Uni "yet" for mental health resons and because quite simply she doesn't know what she wants to do yet. She is going interrailing after exams finish with a group of friends. She will probably apply for ICS as well, and we're not sure what else yet.
Sitting the exams without pressure of needing set grades to get into Uni is good for her - and we've discovered she really struggles with coursework, so BTECs would be awful for her. I'm sure it will all work eventually (and even for her big brother who has been drifting for a few years now).

Catslife I'm so sorry, they aren't really dogs are they they're family.

Whoever posted about Electromagnetic field I could kiss you, that looks so up our street. I've messaged DS with a link, might take my three if he doesn't want to go with friends. At the moment the only holiday he has lined up is canal boating in the midlands. They are so not rock and roll .

Hazard perception can very much be failed by clicking too early, from his years and years of road cycling DS is pretty hot at spotting danger and he was close to failing on that both times.

Feels a bit weird here, went from not sure about going to last minute application to three offers in 7 days. I know those of you with uni's taking forever would disagree greatly but I kind of thought it would be a more long drawn out process, with interviews or something.

starfleet a scholarship is amazing, only a teen could be about it surely or have I missed something. Is it somewhere he is not very enthusiastic about?

catslife Sorry to hear about your dog

DD has passed her driving test

And she has received her final offer - Durham. With a slightly lower offer than she was expecting

We still have a long way to go, and she may still not choose to go next year but she is in a much better place than she was.

This is such an individual journey for them all isn't it. We've had yet another discussion this evening, where I keep saying its a marathon not a sprint. Despite the impression school gives.

That's great Raspberry, well done to your dd! On both counts. Happy day

MrSlant, I'm so pleased the offers are rolling in :)

So.... mn spot at Electromagnetic field? It looks great! dd seems back to herself, excitedly explaining STEP questions that's she's done and loved. I have to smile and nod and make listening sounds as I'm not following her at all.

raspberry yay for Durham offer. Everyone I know has loved Durham. Really collegiate feel, less druggy than Manchester (maybe that was just the particular student and his circle though (he tried both) The students I know of who go there are all Humanities though - Classics/Theology

mrslant I went on a canal holiday as my first student holiday; I think we did a lot of damage to the boat's electricals by repeatedly crashing into the bank. Mind you, it wasn't a real canal boat I think it must have been a motor cruiser..Friend who was student with me, must have told her own daughter the tale of our voyage so many times that friend's daughter, now 24 has bought her first home..A CANAL BOAT in London..(with no fixed mooring)

Catslife - I'm so sorry, what a terrible shock for him to die so young too.

Bekabeech I really really want ds to take a year out, despite his application this year. I think so many people benefit from it, and change their course plans too becasue of feedback from friends as well.

If I don't organise an "adventure" for ds I don't think anything is going to happen on the holiday front. He said he wants to work in Ireland for someone a relative we know, but that has been the only idea he has come up with. I think you need another person to make proper plans with, and so far none of his school acquaintances are any better than him at grand destinations. So it might have to be NCS Tall Ships or National Trust volunteering at this rate.

On the plus side he has handed in 3 of his 6 Sports Science Units and got Merits for them. Not really what he should have got, but I'm relieved they are done and not just Passes. Maybe he will try a bit harder with the next three and go for Distinctions. I always knew the Sports Science was not going to be his thing, but he insisted that it is what he wanted to do instead of retaking Business A level first year (he did year 12 of Business and flunked it internal exams) School insisted he changed to sports science btec subsidiary and he said he had always wanted to do sports science, so that was quite difficult to argue him out of, and return him to grindstone of business. Perhaps at end of this year he will have more perspective on why he dropped the Business, or that it was possibly worth continuing with it, even if he had only got a D in the end. I blame school for wanting to massage their results, but they have at least tried to find something for him, I give them that.

He's so tired though, so many late nights, starting work too late and getting up too early. I find it so frustrating to hear him creaking around at 1am in the corridor.

Thanks OYBBK and Nettle.

Nettle that;s very interesting, its Classical Civilisation she's applied for.

Yay raspberry !!
I'm so happy that things are looking brighter for you and your DD

Going through the hard times makes us appreciate the good times even more, I think. According to other MN threads you're not supposed to end a post with a kiss, but I'm sending one to you anyway x

PS - bekabeech - if ever you want to speak to someone who knows what it's like to support a DD with mental health problems, I'm here for you x

beka
Mental health is so important. Dd has suffered with many mental health issues and I’ve always told her to put it first when she chooses universities etc and to make sure she thinks about it when she’s at universities...
Well done to your dd raspberry yay for Durham and driving test

Dd is still at home ill, I’m hoping she will return Sunday night. She is still going hot and cold and she’s just exhausted...On a brighter note she has had some better feedback on her coursework from people on the student room.

Congratulations x 2 to your DD Raspberry!!
Brilliant news, what a fantastic day for her!

Ds1 has an interview/audition from one of the universities that hasn't replied, beginning with C! Very pleased for him..Just one uni left to offer an interview.

Fantasy hope dd feels more chipper soon. This last stretch is quite overwhelming, I think ds is only managing because he feels the worse is past - the applications and the coursework, (whereas of course it isn't) and the auditions are breaking things up into chunks for him so he doesn't have to think about the big issues (ie actual exams and how he is going to pass them!)

He actually fast asleep too, cannot quite believe it. The last two late nights must have taken their toll. But here I am waiting for ds2 to come back from a football match ggrrr - honestly the gscers seem to live the life of riley in comparison, certainly nothing like the stress of A levels (atlhough you don't realise that when you first go through it with your eldest)

Dd couldn't revise tonight as she couldn't find her pencil case with her special pen. It appears to be one of those highlighter pens that has 4 different colour options and if she didn't have pale turquoise, shell pink, forest green and arse brown then no revision was possible.

She had to reread Streetcar instead.

lol! I hope the pencil case is found today. (For the want of a pen the exam was lost....?)

dd seems remarkably chipper at the moment, a lot less stressy and tired. She's made up her mind about her uni choices and that helps I think.

Haha! Ursula I love the highlighter Drama!
I hate to ask, but where is your DD's sacred highlighter from? It sounds like the exact one DD2 is on an eternal quest to find!
She wants a highlighter pen in pastel colours instead of neon?? Apparently a teacher at school had one once and no other highlighter will do!

So I had some very strange messages from DS last night. Basically he's been feeling shit about something and opened up to a tutor last night. She recommended we, the housemistress and DS meet tomorrow before he comes home from school so he can tell us! He says that he can't find the words to tell us...
I spoke to the housemistress who wouldn't really tell us what was going on, but I'm thinking it can't be that bad or we'd have either been told beforehand or we would have been hauled in for a meeting today. If he wasn't besotted with his girlfriend I would think that maybe he was going to tell us he was gay. Maybe he's worrying about her, but DS definitely wanted me there. I work so don't usually pick him up.
I'm actually really worried but trying to keep it together. ....

Oh Derek that does sound worrying, of course you're concerned.
Hopefully it's something easily sorted, or at least nothing serious.
Thinking of you, I'm guessing you won't sleep much tonight

Eek derek That would have me crawling the walls - hope it is nothing too serious.

The pencil case turned up - in the handbag she had taken to the hairdressers in the afternoon when she went to get her Balayage done. (No I am not making this up).

I'll ask her where the highlighter comes from - it is most likely Tesco.

But honestly the strop she had when she couldn't find it?!? And I was accused of not taking the loss seriously enough.

derek we've been through so horrid meetings with ds1; I think the only thing to remember is that the teachers have probably seen it all, they just don't want US to know that...and give the impression that whatever he has done is he's the only person who has ever ever done that (which he won't be) Do you think it could be cyber bullying or something like that? Anyway you don't need to tell us the outcome, just remember there is nothing new under the sun.

Dd once nearly inadvertentely poisoned one of her friends (with alcohol); I've often thought about the parent I would have had to be if the friend had died. Anyway, once I got past that, I think I can now handle most things. Cross fingers.

Ursula ds1 seems to have completely passed that stage or is yet to hit it (maybe it is a sign of maturity) Dd behaves like that all the time, it is a form of perfectionism I guess. Her latest thing is wanting things to be named as "hers" rather than communal family things, as in "that is my biscuit because I bought it 2 weeks ago" and "yes you can eat it but only if you acknowledge it is actually MY biscuit that you are eating and that you should have asked MY permission" She does love highlighters, only luckily her brothers have no interest in stationery so she cannot blame anyone for nicking them or losing them, except her herself.

I work in a boarding house - I have seen it all and DS knows this, which is why it's so fustrating

derek I am sick of hearing myself speak on the subject of how the fear of the thing is usually worse than the thing itself. I am trotting that speech out at least twice a week, aimed at either DS or myself. If it was something really serious then they wouldn't be waiting until Friday night, it would not wait and would need you NOW. Whatever it is that is troubling him he will be better for getting it out in the open where it can be dealt with or acknowledged as appropriate.

DS has no words for anything involving emotions. "How do you feel?" is apparently an impossible question to answer.