Last term of Year 13. Gulp.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Can you believe it?

last thread

All welcome no matter which path your dc have chosen.

Technical question, what's supposed to happen if you tag someone, @ellenjane etc? I can see I've been tagged but I spotted this thread in active.

I think you are supposed to get a message, but only if you have enabled it in your settings.

Hi NoHaudin. Long time no see. I hope your DS is enjoying uni and not lost any clothes lately. With my DS2, that's completing his BTEC, not completed unfortunately! Still some way to go.

Thanks raspberry!

Ellen ds has been struggling a lot this year and has decided to suspend his studies and start again in January. He can carry his credits forward so can just pick up at the point where things went badly wrong.
I was really worried at first but I think it is probably for the best. Both his department and disability services have been really supportive.
Well remembered about the clothes. They don't go to the laundry very often but have all come back!

I'm glad they're looking after him. He's done amazingly well to have reached halfway. I hope he's in a better place with it all soon. Will he stay at the same uni?

Yes he is staying where he is. He has actually done very well in the bits he has managed to complete.
He has also been doing a lot of voluntary work with the university volunteer service and plans to go back in September to carry on with this and get used to living in a shared house rather than halls.
How is your ds 1 getting on?

Lost a few hours of revision today due to an emergency optician's appointment for DD. It turns out that her astigmatism has got worse recently and fortunately there are no other problems. (DD has had eye problems in the past, so we don't hang around if her eyesight suddenly goes blurry).

I hope your DD's eyes are OK Fantasy.

I'm glad it's ok Lonicera.

Hi Ellen :)

I've bought a spiral bound notebook of which to put in recipes suitable for dd. She will be starting an emergency cooking course with me once the exams are over.

I'm going to miss the fact that she's faster than google if I need to know something. I hope she won't mind me messaging her in the middle of lectures if I suddenly have a question I need answering.

If your DD gets into her first choice OYBK she will be in halls the entire time at university. Is this an "in case of" strategy?

Been lurking for a while but am feeling frustrated with DD so need to moan! She is working hard I know, but also refuses to stop doing any of the things she normally does - 2 x ballet lessons, youth group, music group, care home volunteering and music group. Today she came home after being at work in her cafe all day and announced that she is going in to work tomorrow too as they have "no one". I was not best pleased! She said that she knew I wouldn't be happy, but she has made the decision!

It's hard isn't it :(

You said your DD had been working hard so this might be a restorative change of scene that will help over the next few weeks.

It is Lonicera. Though cooking skills are generally helpful

I might include meals that can be cooked solely using a kettle and a microwave though, for skint days.

Wow, that's hectic Drink. Are the grades your dd needs for the next stage comfortably attainable? What does she want to do?

When I say working hard, probably about 5 hours most days. She needs 3 As to do medicine. Maths should be fine, based on AS papers from last year, she is predicted A/A* in all, but seems to be struggling with knowing what the questions actually want and exam technique in biology. So who actually knows!

Drink I hear you - my DD has a similarly hectic schedule and is also insisting on continuing with everything.
I've tried to get her to at least put her waitressing job on hold for a couple of weeks if nothing else (won't miss dance or drama because of letting the rest of the cast down - rehearsals are well underway for the summer show in July - she teaches 3 classes a week to the juniors too)
But she's adamant she has everything under control and knows what she's doing.
I'm not sure it's a risk I'd be willing to take, but I have to let her make her own decisions at this stage I think.
It is bloody hard though!

Biology questions are designed to catch you out aren't they. DD struggles with what the examiners are looking for.

DD is the opposite and has stopped everything. I'm not sure this is helpful either!

Oh bloody hell - I've just found out that the new boyfriend is 3 years older than her. Thank goodness yet again that she doesn't have any exams.

Very best of luck to all your DCs for the coming exams.

I guess 18 year olds just aren't good at getting a balance! Either carry on with all or stop everything! But glad to know dd's not the only one lobster, somehow it makes me feel a bit better!
Loni I thought chemistry was going to be the most stressful, but biology seems to be so tricky to answer in the right way and hardly any practice papers! And apparently the teachers are no help- so I'm told!

ds is different again and hasn't taken up anything in the first place! My impression is that he did more in Year 9 and 10 when he was trying to squeeze extras in, I think it keeps you cheerful and balanced, and widens your friendship group. Dd is missing the drama and dance she used to do on Sats, but gave it up this summer term for the gsces in a panic. I think it would have probably just balanced things out nicely (exercise, stress release) but I suppose I'm panicking too and didn't want anyone to worry that their chances had been jeopardised by extra curricular demands. I'm not very good at multi tasking and I assumed the same about them, but it was probably a mistake. Certainly ds1 should have done Silver D of E, which at the time I felt was a major distraction from his school work; unfortunately school agreed with me, but he ended up doing less not more..

3 years older is only 21 isn't it Chocolate? I know plenty of very sweet unassuming 21 year old students, certainly not predatory. I'm dreading ds ever getting any girlfriend, I will be in a constant state of nerves and worry about how he is treating her.

There are some absolutely lovely 21 year olds out there chocolate. My boyfriend when I was doing my A Levels was 26!! I'm not convinced my parents are aware of that even now. You just have to hope she's picked a nice one. If she's off to uni, you won't know anything about boyfriends unless she tells you, which is very scary.

Dd is still keeping going with everything, but she doesn't actually do that much anyway, just work one day at a weekend and band for a few hours once a week. I think she can probably manage to keep that up.

I don't think that 21 is too to much older, it's whether he treats her right or not. There can be a maturity gap anyway sometimes when they are the same age.

dd kept most things going, but stopped work. I think that was right for her.

5 hours a day seems plenty of revision and being able to juggle hectic schedules sounds ideal for a medic.

Ds has done the grand total of a max 3hrs revision today (I think it's more like 2 hours) he was due to go out with the girlfriend about 3.30 planning in getting back about 8 to do more work. Apparently this wasn't going to work with GF's plans. She got cross so I'm staying out of it. Apart from pointing out he really should have spoken to her about it, and got up earlier!