Starting lectures at uni 2017

[HSMMaCM]

The other thread filled up really quickly, with exciting talk of laundry, mattress toppers and lost property.

Here's where the rest of them settle in, get through freshers and the work gets serious.

Ah, here you all are!

Many thanks for all the good wishes. It is a weight off my mind to know DD now has her own room. And I'm very impressed at how quickly the student accommodation officer came up with something for her.

Fairy good to hear you've been reassured too. They don't stop being a worry, do they, no matter how grown-up they are (or think they are).

DD had her first formal dinner last week. It sounds like they're the fashion at a lot of places these days. She said a cocktail/little black dress was fine.

She asked if we could bring the rest of her stuff (left behind because she knew there would be next to no storage space in the rabbit hutch shared room) so I am busy making more lists of Useful Things to Bring. How do parents manage when their offspring go abroad to study and aren't just a long drive away?!

That's good news GreenPolish.

Thanks for starting the new thread HMS

Family party wasn’t a great success. Dd was in a great mood until we got home from halls, and then started moaning at her boyfriend and being pissy. Then when we got in the car after leaving the party early she moaned at me alllll the way home about talking to everyone but her.
It’s not easy being perfect dd. 🤷‍♀️
She knew my work team were out at the same place (downstairs) and knew I’d arranged to go down for half hour to catch up with the one on maternity but stamped up to the table in a huge huff.

Ugh. Now I’m awake at 4am feeling guilty and sad about her being a moody mare. Maybe it’s good she isn’t coming home next weekend.
Obviously I’m seeing her too much for her to miss me 🙍🏻

Parenting a fledgling adult is so hard

I was supposed to be going for a run in the morning and now I don’t want to as that will no doubt be thrown at me 😑

Hope you guys are all ok, can we rewind the weekend ?

Ds has now been at Uni for a MONTH!...I get very brief messages and have spoken only briefly on phone ( he was in Nando's at the time)
All is going well, he likes his flat mates and has made some friends at lectures and joined gym....gf from back home has come up for weekend- she's at Uni in Oxford.....they'd been going out for 9 months before leaving for uni- wonder how long it's going to last

QOD, sounds like she has taken advantage of the opportunity to let her guard down. Presumably she has not dared to be grumpy to new University friends, so you got dumped on. You could treat it as her trusting you!

Need, .... cloose to home here. I wonder if my son was one of the "posh boys" from Wills. I don't think he would be counted as posh.

No advent calendar issues here as they have not wanted them for a few years.

One talked yesterday about a new bike he was wanted to buy for a year or two - his one at home looks okay to me. I did say if you do buy a brand new bike that is magnet for thieves. If he doesn't want his current one then he might be better buying a really old looking one for university.

Everything is staying so clean for the first time in ... well ever.... I went from home (my mother never liked domestic stuff although my father was pretty good with the hoover) to shared university/post grad house to married, then 33 years of children. Mind you I just mopped the floor and my older son came back in his boots yesterday so even now living alone mud still seems to get tramped in.

One wanted an envelope yesterday to pay for something. I suggested folding up a piece of A4 paper if he didn't have one. At least they've both done their washing now (after 2 weeks).

At home they cook and shop for food themselves but get their washing done. At university 2 of their meals are cooked but they do their own washing. It will be a toss up as to whether it's easier there or at home on that basis. Probably harder at home as washing ie once a week and cooking is fairly constant. i was pleased to hear the one who took loads of tins of his soups etc from home (he's vegan) is using them. (He just has a microwave and kettle and fridge in the kitchen but that's enough to heat up tinned soup.)

QOD - As Needmoresleep said. It's because she knows you will still love her. She's been on best behaviour and it was all vented on you. Wait until she's in a receptive mood and talk to her about it. She may be more considerate next time.

Theresa May pledges help for young on fees and housing
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41456555

Uni fees frozen and earnings limit raised.

I'll believe TM when I see it actually happen.

Re posh students, DD has met one. She's very wealthy and went to expensive private schools, she's brought her horse with her to university and is renting a studio apartment in DD's halls. DD says that she is lovely and is good to spend time with but is obviously clueless about how the majority of people live - she is at the far end of the spectrum from us when it comes to money.

Thanks peeps. Sigh 😔

QOD......sorry to read all that but i think you might be right re the not having a chance to miss you properly. We dropped ds at uni sun then collected him thurs for my mums funeral. He was fine until sat am when we were taking him back and i wonder if he was nervous and felt like he was starting again! I concur re parenting a fledgling adult!

Sweetness-sounds like we're at the same stage as you. Arrival today and reasonable night in hotel last night. I managed to supervise car packing so that I would fit in!

Quiet and nervous DS this morning but he is looking forward to it. Four boys from school and two girls from their sister school are there too but all different colleges so he may see familiar faces but still make new friends.
Love reading all your posts to see what he (and I) have to look forward to!!

Just had six pictures from one of them..... an abundance of riches, more information on that than a "yes all is fine" conversation (from the formal dinner in gowns and all looking so happy). I think they seem a mixture - mine has an ordinary tie (and suit) on as do some other boys and some have black tie. hard to tell from a picture who is posh and who isn't. Mine got his gown second hand. I hope university is a chance to mix with people of all backgrounds. (My daughter who is not rich took our horse to university for a year actually but she found the farmer and field and she got up at 6am every day to muck it out - so it was more an excerise in being a very poor groom dealing with horse manure I suspect rather than posh rider). The twins are pet free as I am too mean a mother to buy them the coveted dog.

I wish DS would phone. I don't have much sense of how he's getting on. He seems to be on fb a huge amount. Being fb friends is a mixed blessing as I can see how many very late nights he's having. There are no societies to join at his uni (conservatoire so very small institution). I know he's getting out a bit but I worry about him holing himself up in his room with his PlayStation and Netflix. Not sure what I can do about it though.

green Hurrah for your DD.

DD is having a ball socialising with both her course mates at RADA and her hall mates ( mostly UCL).

DS goes today. We're setting off in the next half an hour!

Good luck with the trip today, Get (do you have twins ilke I do?)

Yes twins . Girl and boy.

The house will be very quiet next week. But actually I love being on my own. And I have a shit ton of work to do.

Then DH and I are going on holiday a deux.

Is today the latest start date? Or is there anyone else still to go?

I know when DD went last week I felt like she was one of the last.

DS has settled in well, he had enjoyed the lectures he's had this week especially AI, he was very enthused discussing it. We popped in to see him at Birmingham on our back from the Manchester open day with DD.

He is excited to be making his own meals, before he left we discussed cooking and how recipes are just suggestions do he's having fun experimenting.
I was proud of how self sufficient he is being, sending money carefully, he's so proud at how careful he's being that he wouldn't even let us buy him some extras at the supermarket.
The only down side is that he answers any concerns I have with, 'It's fine.' In an exasperated voice. I.e. 'How are you getting on with your flatmates?', ' How much work do you have?'. I think they're reasonable questions and he acts as though I'm being irritating for asking.
I will find the balance of questions to listening one day!

I think Oxbridge is always around start of October so this probably the last starting weekend for everyone.

Holly. I think a lot of them are like that. I got fairly brief answers when asking questions. I had to try to move to something that would not just generate a "fine" or okay response from one of mine. Anyway he and I have agreed one phone call a week so that's all fine.

I am like Get, like being on my own (not that I ever get enough of it) and have loads of work on. They were asking if I had got back into my living room/TV room which one of the boys had made exclusively his for about 4 years and I haven't because of work so far.

I am glad everyone is settling in.

Someone said Warwick was about now too, not sure if anywhere else other than oxbridge is this late?

Yep Warwick is this weekend I believe.

For those with DS - what are you sending them?

Would like to send a few things to DS but he's very in materialistic and I'm struggling for ideas.

Can I join in too.

DS is at Cardiff, he went on the 20th. He's very good at keeping in touch and told me I can call as often as I like 😁. He's kept himself busy but he struggles a bit with not seeing his girlfriend ( of 3 years) who is at a different Uni 250 miles away from him and he is 220 miles away from us.

He starts lectures tomorrow.

I've sent things From Amazon Prime that are delivered straight to him at no extra cost such as shower shelves and stick on towel hooks.

He's sent pics via our family chat of meals he's made ( the rice cooker is a godsend) so I know he's eating well.

There are only 4 on his course in the second year.

Wow Maidenmother! That’ll be some awesome contact time I guess - hopefully he gets to mix with lots of people from other courses