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

[flyingpigsinclover]

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

DD1 is flying back to uni today. She's pretty happy to be going back, apart from anything else it's -27C here and +5 there!

The time that mine has been home has passed so very quickly. She doesn't go back until Saturday but has lots of work to do by then, and has exams on her first day back. seems unfair. They should have been able to have a proper rest. Nice to see her with her friends, though.

Here DD is going back to Uni in a couple of days time. I will be very sorry to see her go again, but hoping having her home for a decent long break over Christmas will have helped me adjust better to the idea of her coming and going rather than the sense of loss I feel I was experiencing ( to some degree) last term.
She's hoping to fit in an ice skating session with a friend tomorrow, and perhaps could call round on one more friend too.
She has a few exams when she goes back but all fairly short multiple choice answers, and fairly well spaced out over a couple of weeks, so she seems fairly relaxed about them. Hopefully they will go OK!

I am going to miss DD again when she goes back and I think it's partly because I haven't seen much of her during the holiday. Also, when I did see her, it was often with her boyfriend and always with my DH. I think I just needed some 1:1 time and although offered and promised, it never happened. I won't say anything to DD, because she's enjoying life for the first time in years and I'm happy for that to continue.

I second that HSM. Mine has come home as my DD, having been under the influence of MH problems and ADs for the past few years. I will miss her more now, having felt that uni would make or break her. She is finding some aspects of the work challenging, so I don't feel she is out of the woods yet, as a significant problem in that area may tip her back again. Fingers crossed. We are planning to go and see her at our half term, taking with us the naughty Andrex puppy. She has totally fallen in love with him and I think that may have helped reset her perspective on "home", which was otherwise tinged with the difficulties she had whilst at school.

simbobs, I am so of your puppy! No wonder your DD is pleased to be home

Similarly my DD came back very happy and clearly coping really well with her new life. She spent an enforced week or so with us over Christmas, and has been in and out at other times. She goes back on Friday and is "reserving all of tomorrow evening" for us

losttheloveofmylife is your DC studying abroad??

And I’m also incredibly jealous of the puppy!!

Hello, lost & found you again! Lots of you with DC going back but DD doesn’t start again until early Feb! Has assignments to complete by mid-Jan & is stressing hugely. Thought she’d turned a corner near the end of term with settling in but she’s saying she doesn’t want to go back... Her mental health isn’t very good but she’d started getting some help with that. I’ve encouraged her to try to get her work done & then look at her options. So stressful

Happy New Year everyone! DS returned from skiing today and goes back on Sunday. I missed him while he was away and I won't really enjoy the next couple of days as I will be packing him up again, taking down the Christmas decorations (which always makes me feel sad at the best of times), working and generally anticipating his departure

Blog so sorry to hear your news. I was worrying that my DD might come back with that issue. Can you do anything to help her, like breaking down work into manageable chunks etc? Sounds like she is overwhelmed which creates stress, and it is all downhill then. At the very least you can keep her safe, warm, loved and fed.
My DD has been complaining about her uni room being cold, but is refusing to take a little heater back with her. She cannot have managed to get all of the work done that she came home with, but I know she has done some. She has a couple of social engagements tomorrow and is off on Saturday.
Puppy is snoring at my feet, exhausted from helping to redecorate his room - well, the paper-stripping part! I am going to send DD a weekly bulletin from him.

A little difficult saying goodbye to DD today as I waved her off on the train. But glad to hear she's now safely back in her Uni flat. Several friends will be joining her this week and one may be there already, she has given herself nearly a week back before her first exam which seems quite sensible.
Has been so lovely to have her home over Christmas, even though the holiday season does bring some stresses due to a family bereavement a few years ago, and also I wasn't too well for much of the holidays with a nasty sickness bug.
Still there were some lovely moments, especially with her.

DS going back on Sunday he's been revising, so I haven't seen much of him this week.

Thank you Simbobs (and hooray for the puppy - I have missed a lot but sure it was you whose DDog sadly died very suddenly?). I have looked at one of her assignments and would struggle to do it myself. She keep picking herself up from the depths, only to get stuck. It's making her feel stupid . Hard trying to do it away from uni and with no conferring with peers allowed. I really hope she can find a way through and get something it all by the deadline. I don't want her to not go back because she couldn't complete work. DH and I also are in disagreement about how to handle her, which is adding to stress.

Yep, know how you feel there. Just remember that that umbilical cord is never really cut. Somehow we feel things differently, more intuitively. Go with your gut instinct. It sounds as though she has a little time to sort herself out. It is hard to give them perspective, isn't it? And yes, it was my dog that died. Still really miss him. Pup is very different. Calm at times but with real psycho moments, which I am finding quite challenging. Also a case where DH and I disagree on how to handle him, but luckily he will be away a bit more than me, so I get to decide.

My DD just went back to uni. Feeling relieved to have found her so well, but flat and missing her already.

Just seen the news re Bristol Uni. Hope anyone with DC there have been in touch with them BTM know your DD is there

Just saw that news about the Bristol fire .

DD is back to Bath tomorrow. .

DD is wondering. Exams start Monday. Exams take place in the Wills Building, the historic one next to the one which burnt down, which is apparently the maths block. She assumes there will be significant water and smoke damage.

A real pity and presumably a major headache for administrators. Not to mention academics who may have lost the contents of their offices.

TabbyTigger, we are both in Canada, we live in Ottawa and dd has gone to uni in Victoria- it's a 7 hour flight.

I am missing her all over again, but she's loving it there, and despite being ill with a cold this week, seems to be doing ok.

I hope everyone who's DC go back this week have a good last weekend with them

HSM apparently the Fry Building was being refurbished and was empty so hopefully not too much damage caused. The wills wasn’t on fire from the footage I saw so hopefully won’t have had water on it

DD is fine - says she was in the Wills a couple of hours before and what others above said. Apparently no-one was using it?
She has an exam tomorrow, so I bet she is hoping it will be cancelled
Or maybe not as it would have to be rescheduled and she has made loads of plans for the following week as she only has exams the first week.

Trying to think which building it was in Bristol as that's where I went. But anyway good that no-one seems to have been hurt from what I've heard.

Still adjusting to DD having gone back, but am pleased that she's settled well this first term, and has a small group of flatmates to go flat-hunting with for next year.

I've heard locally that there is no impact on exams at Bristol.

Drove DS back today. In spite of the fact that he is very happy there he was still nervous going back but didn’t know why! I thought once we’d left him (after a huge Sunday lunch in a lovely pub on the way) he’d be OK. He texted me later to say he was fine and unpacking, and his best mate is due to arrive back at the flat soon.

Blog sorry to hear your DD is stressing again. I think going back in the New Year is always the worst return; it’s dark and cold and Christmas is over and everything’s a bit flat. If she’s not going back til February then it’s just longer to worry. I hope she can find her way out of the assignment issues. Has she got a good personal tutor?

Blog, same here with us. Grim.