Year 13 support thread - The End.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Not the end of the threads, just this chapter of life. We'll keep going, don't worry!

However! Not to be used until this one is done

Mass last night was good, noticeably the students were not concentrating on religion at all and there was audible snuffling when the priest mentioned saying No to life's temptations. I asked dd afterwards why she had been so disrespectful (more interested in her Leaver's hoody than anything else) and she said airily, Oh we've been told to say No about 12 times now...She has now headed off for a day of sunshine and fun leaving an absolutely untidy room and a thousand chores behind...

Kitten what was it like for you at this stage ie: when you were 17/18 and finishing school? Was it a time when someone was looking after you ? I think replaying that time can affect us a lot. I did badly in my A levels first time around and my parents behaved brilliantly, but I have this sneaking sense that they should have been involved more in my academic work before I failed or noticed the difficulties I was experiencing organising myself, or just that I was feeling quite unhappy at the time socially. This has coloured my anxieties about ds so so much. Now that I have gone through it with ds1 I see that there isn't much I can do except be there for him, I cannot do his A levels for him. And I feel quite a lot of gratitude to my parents for just being there. But every step of the way I am learning more about what I expect of myself as a person and what I feel sad about in my past life, and poor ds - he is really the guinea pig for all this, and he shouldn't be.

all the best, I'll stop wittering on now! There is compost to be shovelled in the garden; I have a big bucket of vegetable peelings that need layering with dried leaves and twiglets...

I think some people find it hard to relax after being wired for so long.
DH told me that he was simply unable to stop studying once his A levels were over. His parents got quite concerned and packed him off to do physical work with his uncle who worked on a farm for a month which seemed to do the trick.

The garden is looking AMAZING THIS MORNING. Red hot pokers, blue geraniums, red geums, blue green melianthus leaves, and dark red day lilies. And lots of dark red bells of something that looks like spinach in the winter - oh yes phygelius that's the name. And a grown from seed [Elizabethan candy], Eryngium, like blue stars. White lacy hydrangeas just coming out too with red stems.

I had completely the opposite experience of my dd Nettle, it's a bit too personal to say on the boards. I had a very difficult and abusive upbringing.

argh, even typing that brings on the floods. None of my friends are around today.

It's why I can't bear it when dd is unhappy. I know that it's part of life and that I can't just fix stuff for her anymore, but if I could I would. Which isn't always helpful.

You are right, when they are at uni, this will fade, just like this point at the gcses did.

I should look at my garden.

I am so sorry Kitten that is so hard. I'm not surprised you are feeling so anxious. The past is so fixed isn't it, it is really unbearable when making sense of it is quite unpossible.

It is.

I often get upset that DD doesn't have much family around. She's an only child of 'old' parents. We've had Christmas dinner just the three of us sometimes and I find it unbearably sad. I am by nature a melancholic and could spend my days quietly sobbing.

But, the sun is shining and will rise again tomorrow regardless of me.

Your DD will shine too OYBBK

Whispers. I had to remove the retainer. ''Twas grim.

I do see people with fancee nails and wonder how they do stuff. Boring stuff like emptying the vacuum cleaner and scrubbing burnt pans (not that I ever wander off and forget about dinner, no, no, not me). I'd assumed that they don't do gardening or mucking out horses.

Ursula DS is an only of older parents, his total family is two grannies, one aunt and a couple of cousins. It is what it is.

lol Ursula that is grim!

I do look at large extended families with envy, but I guess there is also the potential for more strife too. I do find christmas a bit lonely, dd had better come home at Christmas or goodness knows, I might start inviting strangers in off the street.

Not heard from her yet for her two exams today. Hope that all is ok.

I wonder the same about high heels. I wonder how people can walk in them. I'm very censorious about luxury versus functionality. Tis very boring to live with, my children tell me.
O reason not the need, as King Lear so helpfully said when he wanted to keep his 200 knights

I've found a solution to burnt pans btw. You put biological washing powder in them and leave them to simmer for a while. As long as no-one mistakes it for soup.

I have a friend who has four children. She has three cousins who are a decade older than her all with three children and grandchildren. All still live locally so they have mahoosive get togethers at various times throughout the year and I get deeply envious. But not of her Christmas present list.

I often hope that if and when DD marries she does so into a large and wealthy family.

Of course you are right though OYBBK. Many threads on here prove that large families are not necessarily a god send.

Hope your DD's exams have gone well today.

Good Luck to all exam sitters today.

As of 3.45pm this afternoon DS will be DONE! He is celebrating by going round to a friends to watch the football and then practically the whole year group are going to a club later in the evening. He isn't much enthused and he has to work tomrrow morning so is working out how quickly he can leave the club without seeming rude!!

We are a large family. There is always lots of noise when everyone is together.

Me too Ursula, to both wealthy and big! and that we then get invited to luxurious christmases

Her exams went well today :) though she was a bit disgusted as to the fact that the c4 comprehension paper required they to learn how cricket is scored when it's wet.

Does it really require A level maths to understand cricket scoring?

Awesome starfleet, congrats to your ds!

DD is also going clubbing this evening but it is her first day back at work tomorrow so she can't be late. Another sleepless night until she is in.

Sigh.

Wet cricket scores? Who knew they were a thing........

Glad her exams went well today OYBBK

The sense of relief is enormous! Budge up on that bench you lot!

That was dhs response. He used to play cricket. When it rained they went to the clubhouse and drank beer.

Well DD is now bored and doesn't know what to do with herself! She has been working so hard it seems that she has forgotten how to relax.

So life skills learning today have been cooking a lasagne from scratch and changing her bed. Busy busy.

I have another hospital appointment with my dad later. Oh joy!

Happy weekend to all.

I hope it goes well marmite.

Woohoo! 🎉 budge up on the bench!
I've already had a glass of prosecco (or 2!) DDs both took me out for a "thankyou for helping us revise and looking after us through exam hell" lunch!
Was just lovely!
I then gave them a card each saying how proud we are of their efforts, no matter what the results say in August. And containing tickets to see Hamilton tomorrow night!! They were so excited DD2 cried! (DD1 never cries. Except about History exams!)

So they are both now excitedly packing for a weekend in London and I can't wait to do fun stuff with them - they've requested shopping, museums and lots of food!

DD says Core 4 was surprisingly nice, so ended on a good note too!

Aw that's lovely. DD and I are doing a couple of days in London in July. The Globe, the Monet exhibition, cocktails up the Shard and DD has also asked to go back to the British Library to look at the Tudor letters.

And shopping, of course.

This bench is getting rather full.

awwww, that's absolutely lovely Lobster :) How exciting! Have a lovely lovely time. How nice that they treated you like that. I would show that bit to dd as a prompt except I'd need to redact the bit about tickets to Hamilton as she might be wondering where hers are.