DS has auditions coming up for music conservatoires. We live in SE London. He's going to be travelling to
- Birmingham
- Manchester
- Leeds
- Possibly Cardiff
Birmingham and Manchester coming up very soon and we need to sort out travel. Birmingham audition is midday and it'd mean a very early start from home so he wants to go up the night before and stay over in a hotel. I had anticipated this. HOWEVER, he's picked this very moment to come over all independent and wants to go on his own. I'm absolutely beside myself and trying not to panic. I had thought we'd be doing it together!
I'm not against the independence but I really think he's a bit vulnerable to be going alone. I don't want to fight him on it, and I don't want him to see how anxious I am because he'll get his own way anyway, and I don't want my anxieties ringing in his ears. So I'm trying to win him round gently without being hysterical.
For background, he's been in very poor health, both mentally and physically and I think he is going to be nervous about these auditions. He's autistic / ADHD. Which is why I think, on a practical level, it'd be useful if I were there with him.
Any tips for
me - not becoming utterly hysterical
him - places to stay in Birmingham. Convenient for station and Conservatoire. He'll probably be arriving in the evening, so I'd rather he stayed somewhere close to New Street station. He'd need to get himself something to eat. Preferably McDonald's as he has food allergies, and knows the menu and what he can eat.
The whole thing - forms, recordings, prospect of auditions. THE COST. It's all doing my head in.
For the other auditions: Manchester is at 2pm, so he could probably get there and back in a day. With or without me. For Leeds, we have family not too far away so will probably combine with a visit there, which means I'll go with him. For Cardiff, we're not sure yet if he'll be invited to audition in person. He's applied also for one place in London so at least that's straight forward.