Thread 33 - Lovely Jubbly Jubilee Break, then back to Exams

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board. Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future?
previous thread

ED It is rare. For a nice caravan site, to have storage aswell. Plus, it is often not advertised, it's word of mouth from other campers. Because they have so many people wanting it, the campsite doesn't even need to advertise the service.

But there are a few, throughout the country.

Ds1 informs me that his Nottingham Uni choice has a nickname. “Slutland”. It is recommended to wear sliders when showers so as to not catch an STi.
I know many halls have silly nicknames, but this one is a bit cringe.

Sympathies Also, it's GCSE physics for me today, not my favourite 😖

Eek @Oblomov22 that’s where dd is heading!

I doubt ds will do any GCSE revision today. And neither of them involve me at all, they’re very independent. Not sure if that’s good or bad! Ds is going to see the new Top Gun film today with his cinema pass, which he’s tied into for 3 months! He’s been disappointed at how poor the films have been over the last month. He even did some revision on his phone during one particularly bad one! He said it’s a surprisingly good environment for revising 🤔

Dd was going to go to the uni library but has decided she can’t be bothered.

Found you

DS is still passed out in bed. Apparently he started drinking at 9am yesterday. I dropped him at school at 8.45 😱 Year 12 DD says it was carnage until the year 13's headed to the pubs at lunchtime. By 5pm only one of the (very small town) pubs would still let them in.

So that's DS and school done. Hopefully he'll remember the small matter of 7 more exams.

Mummy, similar. Ds1 was ok, has got up and gone to work, but he said it was carnage: Jägerbombs, tequila....

Y13 carnage here too last night, they didn't start until 3pm though, the lightweights. DS woke us up when he got home because he needed help to lock the front door behind him (door that he has been happily locking and unlocking all by himself since Y7) 😂

He's up now though and revising biology in the garden, it's a glorious day here and he needs to get his tan sorted for his post-exams trip to Greece, apparently. I bought a hammock for the lockdown summer of 2020, best £100 I ever spent, someone's in it whenever the sun is shining.

Ours aren't having an official last day. So that's a bit sad. They are to go in as usual until their last exam. 28th June for Ds. Though I think Ds will only go in for lessons in subjects he still has exams in. Business studies is now finished. Ds's best mate has his 18th birthday this eve. Ds is in a dilemma as to whether to go as I have covid. He is testing negative and has no symptoms so I'm sure he will be ok. But he will need to ask them all first. Must admit I wouldn't be keen on him going if I were the parent.

Notts is v popular this year!

I'm taking Dd to Southampton uni library (little revision sesh) then lunch and mooch round shops on Thurs. Or maybe not the revision bit as she informed me today she has committed to two more days at college next week ...just a chance to visit the city, keep the motivation going etc

oh joy, hopefully DD doesn't realise that until it's too late and she is actually there (fingers crossed) :-) Just as well she has an ensuite then ;-)

Will this be the thread that takes us out the other side of exams? Looking at the list of firm offers and realising the DC have achieved a great deal already.

Lazy morning here watching the takeaway comparison programme. DS has a morning where they take back books and get a hoodie after exams and there is a prom planned.

DD at Comicon today. She plans one free day a week so is off enjoying being a geek.

Picked up Ds from boarding & his rash is still very bad, even though he's had no ADHD meds for two days. He forgot to take an antihistamine last night, so scratched all night, had very little sleep and his neck is awful.

I must admit without the meds he's the old happy go lucky irresponsible boy.
With the meds he's uptight, anxious & responsible 🤦🏼‍♀️

So how do I keep him revising & concentrating without them

@Cantonet what a nightmare for you 😬 Ds is also his usual self now he’s not on ADHD meds. He’s only doing GCSEs so I know it’s different, but he revises in very short bursts (timed on his phone because I financially reward him!) and chills out in between. He does seem to be able to focus that way. How well it works remains to be seen but he’s not had an exam yet where he didn’t know enough. Also, he’s discovered that Aldi cold coffees (espresso) work brilliantly just before an exam. The couple of afternoon exams where he didn’t have one he said he felt like he ‘couldn’t be bothered’.

@Cantonet that sounds awful, poor boy!

@crazycrofter I thought DS told me that caffeine was not very effective for people with ADHD. You know you can get caffeine tablets if he wants something easier than Aldi cold coffee.

DS had a very restrained last day, they had a leavers' service and he forgot to take a white shirt in so his body was signed in sharpies - I think he enjoyed flexing muscles whilst being signed. I was surprised by how many boys drew hearts on him, thought that was a girly thing! He then drove 2 hours to his music camp - when do you stop worrying about your children driving in unfamiliar places? He got there in one piece but dropped his phone last night and shattered the screen.

People on the Newcastle Medicine waiting list have started getting feedback and scores, so we should have a better feel for whether he is taking a gap year soon.

DS1 has gone off to a wedding with GF's family, DH out with dog, we have been invited out for dinner tonight (with dog) and I am VERY happily doing nothing for a bit!

Just found you all again!

Let's hope everyone can have a bit of downtime over the next week in between the revision sessions.

@singingstones that is hilarious. It is good for them to unwind a bit. My DS went to the pub for a beer then to a friends for a swim and chat.
ive told both boys to take a few days off revising, DS2 has done 16 exams and orals etc now. So he’s exhausted. Other DS has done 1 exam so stressing about grades and how rubbish he is.

Cantonet that sounds rough. I hope there is a solution soon for the rash. It's so exhausting.

@Monkey2001 i just did a google search and this seems to suggest caffeine can be helpful (in the mornings!):

www.healthline.com/health/adhd/caffeine#stimulation

I didn’t know you could get tablets, although I’ve been taking things like anadin extra, which includes caffeine, for years for my headaches. He seems happy to knock back the cold coffees although I’m not sure he actually likes coffee!

i was surprised how by how many boys drew hearts on him, thought that was a girlie thing

That’s heart warming to read Monkey, DD’s cohort are like that too. Gives me hope. Though I’m sure, based on how your DS works out, the hearts were also awarded from an admiring POV too ;)

DD taking a day off revision today for a cricket match, so I’m sitting in the sun in deepest Surrey.

Although she’s now officially on study leave, she’s still going in to school to revise in the library (and be fed Percy Pigs by her favourite Chemistry teacher).

DS is out again tonight, watching the champions league final with us at home and then going clubbing. Lack of funds = hopefully not too messy 🤞

Haven't seen much evidence of A level revision today but DD and I have done some GCSE physics in the sunshine before she too goes out. They need a bit of time off before the hard work starts again next week for exams the week after. DS has three that week and DD has 6.

Thanks for the new thread. I haven't been on here for a while, I hop on have a bit of a nosey, then hop off again,

DS's exams have commenced, two this last week. He's ramped up the revision significantly, I'm just worried it's a bit too late and he's going to be disappointed but he claims to know what he's doing. No revision today as he and mates decided to give them selves a break last night and didn't roll in until gone 3am

DD is another one who has taken 2 days off revision, she went out earlier to meet friends to get ready to go out to a pub to watch the football. I think taking clear days off is a good idea. She will crack on again tomorrow I am sure (once she gets up that is.. I'm the one lacking motivation at the moment tbh, I just can't be bothered to do anything (and have lots to do) been like this a while now, everything seems just a chore. Am sure it's menopausal, I've always been a bit of a lazy fecker but this is even worse!

@Heifer the old thread wouldn't let me post past 1000 buy sure have seen other threads go past this lately ...perhaps bug to do with the new site and now fixed 🤔