We've survived the first half term - go us! (starting uni 2017)

[flyingpigsinclover]

New thread....we've got to the first half term!

Disaster! DS has left his XBox controller behind. He’s contemplating going back for it. It’ll be under his own steam. I haven’t got time.

Get another from exhange for about 30 quid?

Hoorah! My baby sitter (DS2) is back so this single mother can run when DS1 in bed!

Yeah mine is in need of a hair cut and a beard trim. We have an old fashioned men’s cut throat barbers at the top of our road so he’s off there during the week for a trim. He was also complaining of back ache from the bed so I’ve treAted (he may not agree) him to an hours sports Physio with my Physio to just get all niggles ironed out....doesn’t know what he’s let himself in for

Mine has had a haircut before he came home but the beard is looking unkempt!

He can go back for about £15. I’m not getting involved.

Simbobs, how is the puppy? We need pics!

We went out on Saturday evening to DH's concert and were berated by DS for getting back late as he "wanted to spend time with his family", lol, tables have been turned.

I think mine is still asleep. DS2 and I have got used to not having to be quiet in the mornings, so we may have disturbed him.

Not sure what he's doing today, but he's got a week planned of playing with his band and meeting mates. I'm happy for him.

Mine has got prize giving tonight too but it's students only.

Hoorah! My baby sitter (DS2) is back so this single mother can run when DS1 in bed!

but that's great that you can go out running. There's nothing like a good run to blow the cobwebs away, though I don't much like all the hills.

Well he’s been home since Thursday and DD has just announced she’s had enough of him now and when’s he going back. And I have to say with his attitude to eating all the food (thanks nothing for tea tonight) leaving us no milk for breakfast and then leaving us all the dishes. I’m pretty done with him myself !🤔

Had a lovely time with DD at her old school certificate giving evening, both of us found several good friends there to catch up with over a small glass of festive mulled wine

Great to see the impressive and interesting places everyone has gone to for Uni or college life - they mentioned this as they went up.

Lovely to have a chat with DD about the last term, she's been telling me both about the work side of her course - in lots of detail! - and about her flatmates who come from all over, 4 of the 7 are international students, two originally from African countries. I think 3 of them including DD are looking to share together next year, but some are third years so not looking for next year.

I do feel so much better for having my DD properly home for a bit, even though she did manage a weekend home mid-term, about 5 weeks ago.

We had the weekend at my parents near London (DD needed to go via London on her way home) and it was lovely to see DD bringing home and decorating the Christmas tree with her Grandpa, and she had a nice day up in London with her Grandpa too. Also means we've already done "Christmas 1" with my parents and siblings and families, on Saturday. So was good to see people and get Christmas off to a nice early start. Also feels quite relaxed that we can now have our own smaller Christmas with just us.

Great to read that most DC happily back in the nest. I can't upload pics of our actual puppy ono but if you look on a popular toilet roll brand you would not be far wrong. We, too had prize giving yesterday and happily my DD bagged one. She seems quite together and I am really pleased that she is no longer on her AD meds. Hopefully she has turned a corner.

That sounds good simbobs - great to have them home isn't it?

She has actually sat in the same room as me and talked about what she is studying. That may be par for the course to most people but it never happened when my anxious, depressed girl was at school. It feels wonderful!

Mine had just come back from mate’s house smelling of dope.
I told him I could smell it. Do I freak out?!

I asked dd about drugs. Was quite shocked how matter of fact she was about just how rife it is and how easy to get drugs.

SimBobs that sounds wonderful. I think getting them to talk is half the battle.

No prize giving days here, we just collected the certificates from the office

I do worry about drugs. DD says one of the houses in her block is a drug house. I'm so glad she didn't get a room in that one!

Boyfriend has stayed with us for a couple of days. They went to a hotel last night waste of money. She's off to visit college this afternoon.

Ds had awards evening too yesterday.
It was a nice evening. As each person collected their award a short paragraph was read out explaining why they had received their award.
There are some amazing young people about. I wish that some of those people who complain about teenagers could have been there.
This evening I am sat in a hotel room on my own. Ds came home on Friday on the train. Today we drove back northwards for over 4 hours so that he can see the band he bought tickets for forgetting that he would be home for Christmas!
Tomorrow we are collecting books and stuff from his uni accommodation on the way home.

There has been trouble, and evictions, at DDs hall because people were smoking cannabis in one of the flats and you see people smoking it openly outside university buildings, the uni have been calling the police when it's been complained about as the cctv shows them smoking and then they swipe their ID cards to get in the building.

Late to join this thread but DS finished his first term a week ago!! He’s absolutely loving it and says he already misses all the people and wants to go back.

Like some others here he also has a prizegiving evening tonight and oddly all the kids who won prizes were told in the email inviting them that they had. I thought he was having me on about winning “overall student” until he showed me the email I’m of course not allowed to attend because I’m embarrassing and “no other parents will be there” ( )

Update on DS's friend with plans to quit uni and leave home during the Xmas break. He, as expected, did a runner overnight on his first night home, not telling his mum where he'd gone and taking the brand new iPhone that his mum had only just given him, while leaving the SIM card on the kitchen counter. He didn't actually leave town or anything as his "plan" was always to move in with local druggy loser- friends.

This is a very small town and DS was disgusted with him not, so may have grassed him up as showing up on Snapchat maps so he was tracked down by his mum before lunchtime, LOL!

Totally reminds me of little kids "running away from home" in a strop and not making it past the end of the drive...

He was home again the same day, but doesn't want to talk about it (no doubt very embarrassed) so DS doesn't know what was said/promised/bribed/threatened by his mum.

At the moment he's still not intending to go back to the uni, but I'm not sure what he will do instead.

Selfishly gutted that he won't stick it out at university as I have just found out that his mum had been planning to buy her son a house in their university city for them to share next year!!

Oh that poor mum, lazydog. Her ds sounds like a spoilt arse. I think your ds has probably had a lucky escape rather than sharing with Mr druggy loser.

He definitely is a total arse, and he's very immature, but he actually isn't yet a druggy himself. He just has lots of loser friends. My ds and one other mutual friend (who thankfully is still going to be going to the same uni as DS in January) are the only two of his friends that are decent people. His future doesn't look promising.

I'm glad to hear that the lad is OK lazydog even though he's not making good choices. Glad his Mum found him OK after he ran away so that particular crisis point is over. Hope it works out for him and he figures out some kind of plan for what he's going to do next.

Thinking of you and your DS too. Friends can be such hard work!