University 2020 :10: Empty nests warm vests and covid tests: uni parents 2020

[sammyjoanne]

Carry on from MilicentMartha's University 9 thead
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/a4025020-University-2020-9-And-theyre-off-making-hay-while-the-sun-shines?msgid=101075411#101075411

Merry Christmas to you all. We will be having a much quieter day than we are used to but am sure we'll still enjoy it. Family all live too far away to visit for the day so will make do with zoom calls instead. Dd trying to finish her thesis and ds spending a lot of time on Xbox as usual catching up with his home friends. No mention of studying needed but not my problem any more. Both dc have surprised me with their fitness routines, working out every day at the gym or at home. Eating me out of house and home! Really hope we all get some sort of normality next year

I'm finding it quite strange, not micromanaging their worst behaviour...touch wood there isn't too much of it, but occasionally the leaving plates and litter around or throwing shoes on the floor makes me forget they are functioning "adults" not kids to be told off.
Ds1 wanted to drop some presents to my sister today..and I know she is expecting him at her doorstep tomorrow and today is not good, but I suddenly realised that was his problem, not mine, if he wants to trek there on foot and no one is there to wave to him and chat so be it!

I think I'm having PTSD from organising too many family Christmases the relief of not having to organise anything is slightly too much for me

On the plus side kids are now thoroughly invested in the trimmings of Christmas lunch and are trying to buy all the ingredients like brandy butter and cranberry jelly I cannot be bothered with. The house is awash with Christmas biscuits and smelly cheese..the food seems very unimportant to me. I long for us all to get out in a long long "family" walk in some green space (London) with a thermos and wellies, but their priorities are inevitably food and home comforts and the car is broken!!

Merry Christmas everyone :)

We’re in tier 4. I have my eldest son at home (he’s been here a week), he lives and works in London but his flatmate went home so he was facing Christmas and new year alone. So his computer was packed up into the car, and he’ll be here as long as he needs. Middle son lives and works from here anyway - he graduated this summer, job is London based but wfh so there’s no real reason for him to pay London rent until he’s actually in the office.

Daughter is at boyfriend’s house for Christmas which feels weird but their previous plan (both at his til Christmas Eve, then in own homes for Christmas, then here from Boxing Day lunchtime) was unfeasible. Both had negative tests at the end of term and both in low risk wfh households and have made the decision they feel is right for them. They’re happy and safe which is the main thing, they’ve been together three years and this is the first time they’ll spend Christmas Day together which is a normal part of growing up. They didn’t see each other for six weeks through the November/December lockdown due to being at uni in different towns, and who knows what the rules will be when they go back in January 🤷‍♀️

Not happy about the Erasmus announcement. Don’t trust this shower to have their replacement by 2022 for our group 😡

@TheDrsDocMartens agree. Not sure how it will affect ds year abroad

Merry Christmas to all. Hope you all enjoyed the day, most of us probably with a smaller unit than we usually are?

We were just me, DH and the two DSs. Managed a nice walk on Regents Canal in the morning, althoughfor London it was very cold.

DS1 has been much more helpful and appreciative around the house since he got back from Lancaster. Says his nice it is to be somewhere clean. Both boys kept asking to help yesterday and took on various bits of prepping and cleaning up.

DS1 says he has heard nothing from Lancaster to suggest he should push back his return date, and still plans to go back on 7th or 8th. He met a a Lancaster friend for a walk around Borough Market and south bank on Christmas Eve, who said the same. I'm glad his routine is going to be fairly normal - relatively speaking of course.

Hope you are all able to have some good family time with your students before they depart again. I'm sad for them all about NYE - both my sons were hoping to be with friends and obviously that can't happen now. If anyone has got any good ideas to make NY at home with mum and dad more fun do please share!

Hugs to all

Just popping by, this thread had dropped off my list.
Think daughter is going back to Cardiff on the 7th, it's the last day of her open return train ticket.
They had been advised 11th onwards, but in an email from uni it said if u need library use u can go back.
She's missing her strange life up there, and despite lockdown intends to go back. We're tier 2.

For those with Lancaster students at home, the uni has published guidance on the delayed return and only a small number of students are restarting in-person teaching on 11th January (first day of teaching for Term 2).

portal.lancaster.ac.uk/intranet/cms/coronavirus/return-to-campus-for-lent-term

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of students had missed this, though!

Hi @OooglyBoogly hope you had a good Christmas. DD has just booked her tests half an hour ago. Shes booked 4th of Jan and 7th of Jan. We are going to go to Lancaster 2nd of Jan and make sure shes got enough food before we go. That week she plans to revise, and some of the students in her flat are coming back between 2nd-9th of Jan. Shes the first in her flat to go back, but prefers the 2nd rather than the 9th (she doesnt have the distraction of sister who shares her room, and us being around and has her own desk in Lancs)

We are in tier 3, so we have just seen father in law (whos vulnerable we do shops for him) since early November and thats it. Christmas day comprised of facetime quizzes with my parents, brothers and sisters and cousins. :) And some lovely walks in the countryside :)

@sammyjoanne that sounds sensible, back when I was a Lancaster student many moons ago I hardly went home at all even over Christmas! Preferred my nice peaceful room up here, with no sibling to deal with. :-)

Big variation in terms of when face to face teaching resumes at Lancaster, they're spreading it over a whole month and my own students aren't back in physical classes until either w/c 25th Jan or w/c 1st Feb, depending on their year group. I suspect the older students won't mind at all, they have in the main seemed to prefer the online teaching and many haven't bothered turning up to their in-person classes. It's hard for the first years though, not as easy to make new friends on their course as if they're not physically in class together they don't end up with the chance to e.g. go for an impromptu socially-distanced walk afterwards and get to know each other. I really, really feel for the freshers this year.

Ds has just booked his Covid tests at Lancaster for week of 18 jan so we'll take him back the weekend of 16 jan. Think his flat mates will have staggered returns as some are lab based whilst others are humanities . I asked if he was looking forward to going back and he said he'd not thought about it yet. Which pretty much sums up his approach to most things !

DD has in person tutorials 3rd week of Jan after exams. Her labs were all done last term so will be having a break from those. she plans to have her test early so she can then use the library to study and revise for her exams.

Shes got her physics applicant group chat friends since April this year (stemmed from facebook fresher group chat and theres about 15 of them in this chat), so still continues the Sunday night meet up on zoom/teams for a 3 hour chat, and also meets in person for walks on the woodland walk or outside sultans chips or a greggs donut and a chat on nice days.
Although she loves her housemates, for meeting people outside her household, that physics group has been more of a lifeline than the socities.
She gave up disney one as she needed disney + to watch a movie once a week; and the Astrophysics has been ok. It has a half hour lecture and half hour chat afterwards..

To everyone whos got their DC returning, I hope you all have a safe journey back to uni :) We just started packing now as she leaves in 5 days . Happy new year to everyone :)

Well...good to catch up with everyone.

This is my third attempt to post here - have had lots of connection issues and lost two posts so I'll keep this one short.

Thanks to ooglyboogly for the link - no DS1 had NOT seen this! He's been lovely to have around at home, more mature, cheerful and helpful and been a really positive presence for all of us.

We plan to drive him back up to Lancaster on 8th January, having noted that students are asked not to use public transport if possible.

I hope you've had a lovely time with your uni DCs and that they are getting rested and ready for the next term.

Being in tier 4, as many of you are, is well....a bit of a drag now. Both our DC have been good about it, meeting friends only outdoors one on one and going for walks but it's hard not to feel bad for them that they can't have the more usual meet ups and celebrate NYE.

Here's to better times....

Hurray, post actually seems to have worked!

I'll be back...

Ds2 has suddenly embarked on Veganuary. I've been bombarded with requests for various ingredients which I told him to buy for himself. Apart from the four different kinds of lentils which I'm happy for someone to use, having stockpiled them last March.
I think life is dull for them. Which is making everyone fed up
Everyone is sleeping later and later and doing less and less housework
Ds1 reduced to reading War and Peace. Not a "reader". His equivalent of Veganuary..something to talk about.
DD still in land of the living and climbed a tree a few days ago.

@Nettleskeins ds is practically nocturnal which is driving the rest of us mad! I am back at work tomorrow and get v annoyed when I hear the bathroom light and fan go on at 4.30am or he's on Xbox will the wee hours. He has certainly returned to sloth like levels of activity round the house, apart from working out in his room every day. Studying has not featured at all but I'm keeping out of it. Both dc really missing any social interaction , think they're both itching to go back tbh

SpecialTed, I am so relieved to hear that. I am very selfishly hoping it will snow in London as ds2 loves snow/the novelty and will leap out of bed to do things like sledging.

Mixed bag here. DS1 is in third year in London but is an organist so Christmas is his busy season for work. He was worried about coming home so decided to stay put. That has flattened Christmas for the rest of us, especially as we can’t put a date on an alternative get together yet.

DS2, also third year, is going back to Bath tomorrow. Has been here since 11th and hasn’t been out other than to help with shopping so has been pretty safe.

DS3 has been here since early November when he came back for a medical appointment and stayed on. I think he will be staying for the foreseeable future. He’s a second year in London.

DD is a first year at RCS in Glasgow. She flew home for reading week and medical appointment and her return flight was cancelled. So I think she will also be here for quite a while!

@WellWoman good to hear your DC are doing ok in tier 4.
@Nettleskeins Veganuary nice :) Aww I know what you mean. Were in tier 3, and shes really bored now. Wants to get back and crack on with her work. Shes on teams right now with the physics group and having a post christmas catch up and discussing when they are meeting next week (if they go back of course as I'm still waiting for government to put a halt on that).
@specialted DD1 and DD2 are up till 2am, and I had work this morning so Im shattered. Wonder why its the early hours they are about? Would have thought it would get earlier now shes been back for some time. DD2 is year 11 so hoping she can go back next week. And it snowed this morning in Notts, but cleared up later today.

And cousin and her family all come down with Covid and was told the results on Christmas day, whilst she was carving up the turkey. Shes freaking out on messenger, because in her words 'shes fat, over 40 and asthmatic' so far shes not got symptoms so hopefully all is well in the household.

So Lancaster have now said no return to uni before 25 January at the earliest . They will let students know when they can come back. So looks like ds will be at home much longer than he planned but looking at the infection rates recently I guess that makes sense

''Information for students who:

have remained on campus or need to return before their in-person teaching begins
have already made travel plans
are due to arrive late
have made arrangements to learn online in Lent term.

As ever, the campus remains open, and will do so during the Christmas vacation.

We understand you may need to return before the dates given out above due to your personal circumstances, including an absence of alternative accommodation, family circumstances, welfare or a lack of study space. If so, you are permitted to return outside of the schedule above, although your in-person teaching will resume at the point indicated.''

DD is still going back with a couple of others in her flat who have family circumstances, and a lack of study space, and also welfare issues.
She understands she is likely not to have person teaching and still will be taking her booked tests on the 4th and 7th.

Happy new year folks

Got another week of daughter at home. She’s going back to london on the 9th, covid test on the 10th, first day of term on the 11th and GP placement on the 12th so straight back in. Imperial are asking them to have a covid test before they’re back on campus or placement which seems sensible

I am presuming that from what most unis are suggesting there will be a natural staggering of those that need to return and those that don't, which will probably work out quite well. Ds is absolutely mortified he will have to stay at home even longer, think he's def had enough of being at home!

@HostessTrolley and specialted happy new year. We have no study space at all and she shares a bedroom with her sister in our 2 up 2 down. And the kitchen table is my work from home desk. Shes found it hard the past couple of weeks, Struggling to revise for her exams and the thought of her staying at home studying shes found really hard mentally. She really struggled from March to September this year being at home, so shes going back with a couple of others who also have similar issues and getting tested next week.