They know it all (mini rant)

[topcat2014]

DD is off to Birmingham. Bookings for drop off to accommodation opened on 1st Sept. Dullard father (me) suggested maybe doing this on 1st. Long story short we are dropping off at 8pm on a Friday evening now, after M6 in rush hour. Any plans for us dullards making a nice day of it with DD out of the window...

I mean, it will all be fine... in the grand scheme of things...

(Saturday is full and one of us works on Sunday)

Urgh. Can you get there early, grab a space in a uni car park (or some other cheap-ish option) and have a day out before she moves in? Have an early dinner, wave her off and then go and decompress in a Holiday Inn (or even somewhere nice 😂)

I feel your pain, mine always seem to develop plans that involve me being on the western section of the M25 at 5pm.

Why wouldn’t the one who works on Sunday take a day annual leave

Call the Student Living helpdesk and ask if you can check in earlier - they’re very friendly and might let you know if there’s flexibility. The timeslots will be there to prevent car parks being overwhelmed.

Alternatively go early anyway, do the walk onto campus so your daughter is orientated and knows where the Welcome Marquee is on the Green Heart. Have lunch at Winterbourne House and Garden - heritage attraction on campus.

It’s a great university! Hope it goes well.

Or have lunch / stay over at the university hotel - Edgbaston park hotel 🙂 The lunch menu is good! https://www.edgbastonparkhotel.com/dining/bar-menu/

Here’s Winterbourne https://www.winterbourne.org.uk/

Am sure this debate [and parents screaming into the abyss] is happening all over the country.

My DD kept say ‘yeah, I’ll book it later’ for three days [she still hasn’t done full enrolment or watched all the health and safety videos etc]. In the end I said, unless you want to be transporting your gear by train you’d best get a move on as you’ve left it so late dad cannot now book time off work and he’s is away 3 days out of 6 weekend dates already … 5 mins later she appeared with the slots on the app and booked it.

I am beyond effed off with the lack of urgency and the obliviousness to the fact that there are other people in this family who need to make plans that have nothing to do with them.

And yeah, I know it’s ultimately my fault because somewhere along the line she has become utterly enthralled by the belief that the entire world revolves around her…

We went with Friday evening rather than Sunday evening in the end so that DD is not the last to arrive..

I'm probably more anxious about empty nest than I'm admitting to myself..

I'm pretty sure your timeslot is more for managing traffic/arrivals etc so that everyone generally doesn't turn up at peak times together, I don't think it would be a huge issue if you went earlier.

Are you on the Parents of Birmingham Uni Facebook group? I'm sure I've read similar queries there which you could look up for peace of mind.

My DS is off to Birmingham too and I feel your pain re the lack of organisation as it's very much the same here🙄

Are you able to stay somewhere nearby overnight? That way you could check in to a premier inn etc around 3/4, have something to eat etc then head over to the accommodation at 8 to unpack. Then you don’t have a late night drive home. Some halls will check time slot and won’t let you in before so do be aware of that.

Empty nest is brutal for about a month - try to be nice to yourself (and each other) for a few weeks. But then, if you’re anything like me, you start noticing the freedom, peace and quiet, tiny grocery bills, sparkling clean house etc and it starts to feel a bit better. Until they come home for holidays…

Or stay overnight on the Friday and make a day of it on the Saturday, helping her settle in? She may get there and find she is the first in her hall/apartment to arrive and need some help the next day (trip to the supermarket etc?)

Interesting thought about staying over Friday night

Wait until they return for Christmas/Easter/Summer ..... they def think they know it all then 😂.... us plebs have been doing it all wrong for years apparently. (They didn't actually call us plebs, I just had that general feeling).

Thankfully this attitude does improve over time! They're fabulous now 😍

At least your dd will get first pick of the fridge shelf - freezer drawer! (Note DONT pick the bottom fridge shelf, middle all the way).

I agree re staying Fri night and exploring together and supermarket trip the next day. Also because she might be the only person in her flat on Friday and that’s awfully lonely. If you meet for breakfast, walk the campus, do the supermarket, maybe pub lunch and go, her flat will definitely be buzzier on Sat afternoon.

She may indeed find she’s the only one in the flat on Friday. In DS’ first year 2 students arrived on the Friday, went out clubbing together and were just getting up when we arrived mid-Saturday afternoon. I think that set the tone for the rest of their year.

And agree that at least she will be able to choose her cupboard and fridge and freezer space. DS was in a shared house last year and despite this dullard asking hin to move some stuff in when they got the keys, he went the weekend before lectures start and was left with the ice-shelf in the freezer. He’s still complaining about it now and I’m still biting my tongue