Thread 42 Corona GCSE Cohort - 👻Creeping it Real for Oct22

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had.

previous thread

Oh, I see...

We do too! DH gets all sorts of free/ reduced train travel across Europe. I much prefer trains to planes.

I'd love to go interrailing again (I went in my early 20s round Scandinavia). DH, who also did it then but not with me isn't keen though, he is not an enthusiastic traveller.

Another vote for Dobble, although it gets violent in this house! Also, it took us ages to realise that DS was shouting randomly - we were too slow to be able to spot that he was making up doubles 🤣

We also love Pass the Pigs, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Code Names, and had just started getting to grips with Pandemic when COVID hit…

Balderdash popular here and also RatatatCat. Oh, and Sushi Go!

One of my favourite things when taking Year 6 to PGL is getting them into Card games.

DD has been for a weekend in the Lakes with Wilderness Society! I'd never have put money on that...

@Alsoplayspiccolo i love the random dobble shouts 😄

@CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee lucky you getting discounted train travel. Do it!!

A few years ago we did a family ski trip to the Alps, entirely by train (with an overnight stop in London). For my money, that was the nicest part of the holiday by a long way!

"Pandemic" is worth persevering with. We have played, as a family, "Pandemic Legacy" 1 & 2, which are amazing experiences of linked games telling a story. It does need buy-in from everyone, though.

Thanks. I've been looking online at all the games you are all suggesting I might try some for Christmas. For ds3 that is. We have dobble.

Thanks @omnishambles I will let DD know - although she may be ok with going into town it's the railway station that was causing the issue (not sure how far away that is from the direct tram). Hopefully @crazycrofter DD will be finding out later today - Good luck for the interview once more crazy.

Loving all the board games suggestions, DD and I enjoy playing Uno and card games. She taught me Irish Snap recently and I LOVED it, haven't actually won a game yet though...It's meant to be played with 3 or more but we manage. We also used to play draughts a lot. Only realised quite recently that I didn't teach DD how to play chess so she hasn't a clue - she feels very let down ;-) Maybe something to do together over the Christmas holiday (assuming she is in for long enough).

I have Ds home! He was at rehearsal yesterday afternoon and gets the train back mid morning.

@Heifer do you ever use Google maps for public transport? It can access all the timetables. DS visiting GF in Nottingham, so we looked up train station to Broadgate Park and it says 7 min walk to University Boulevard, 14 minute tram to Hucknall, 3 min walk (0.2 miles) to station. Also tells you when to get off tram, which may help!

Yeah @Heifer the station has its own tram stop, DS says the only mistake you could make is getting on the Clifton South. Not sure if he has done that by mistake.

Have to admit @Monkey2001 I didn't know you could do that! I use google maps when in the car going to hockey etc but didn't realise it covered public transports. That will be very useful for DD - I know she has used it to walk around before - thanks for that :-) Also thanks @omnishambles I will tell her to avoid Clifton South.

Loving the board games suggestions. We love splendor, carcassone and catan, sushi go and exploding kittens/unstable unicorns. Oh and masquerade and ‘don’t get got’ for larger groups/silliness.

Ds and I love wingspan and pandemic too @PhotoDad but they are definitely longer and take longer to get the rules on board!

Lots of Christmas board games ideas - will check some of those out.

@Comefromaway - have a lovely time with your DS. Am v jealous!

DS made university seconds for swimming so is happy. Been told he just needs to improve fitness which he knew. It’s a long time to be out of the sport. He says he is just going to train for now and hopefully get competition fit for next season. Can only do three sessions due to timetable so supplementing it with college basketball. At least it doesn’t mean getting up at 0430

Just dropped DS at the train station after a flying visit home. He had a hockey match on Saturday, night out and then a tennis event yesterday but we managed two breakfasts and one dinner, He seems to be okay and finding his feet. Getting to know people in his block, on the course and through sport.

A little worried as he's gone back with a sore throat but otherwise feels well and has done a negative covid test. Hoping it doesn't become glandular fever.

Heifer there is a direct tram from the Uni straight to the train station.

Thanks @Oblomov22 I did see that on google maps that @Monkey2001 pointed out. It's about 18 min walk from Rutland to that tram stop for the direct tram so that's fine when DD isn't bringing anything home.

@Piggywaspushed I've just read today's additions to the Law A Level thread and stopped myself having a rant. OMG. Turns out DS went to a substandard school, didn't study proper A Levels and will never get a job regardless of the fact he's now at a RG university. His surname could possibly be seen as being French so his hard worked for French A Level is also meaningless despite never having even holidayed in France since he was primary school age. Apparently Law is an academically rigorous degree and career but A Level Law is the equivalent of studying Mickey Mouse for beginners.
With law recruitment people like the narrow minded posters on that thread, state-educated, badly advised DS has no hope 🤬

It’s soo annoying @mummyinbeds ! I’m sure they’re only reflecting a tiny minority of ‘elite’ London firms though! I often read people spouting the same nonsense about the big 4 accountancy firms and I know it’s nonsense as I worked at one for 18 years.

I know mummy ! Law is stuck in the stone age but as crazy says a lot of it is actually nonsense, too. City law firms will get a shock when they are told they ave to do blind recruitment!

I might as well completely write off ds with his Business/Sociology/Criminology (not an actual A Level 😮) combination! Ironically for the first time in his life he’s actually finding school subjects interesting so I’m glad we didn’t push him down an ‘academic subjects only’ route.

In other news, I got to spend the weekend with DS thanks to a family wedding. I want to wrap him in bubble wrap 😢 He's still coughing and feeling run down but much better than he was. His mental health is really worrying. He has so much anxiety which is so not the old him. I haven't said anything on here, or to anyone in real life apart from DH, but 36 hours before leaving for uni, DS told me something that had happened earlier this year. I knew something was wrong but what he told me has taken some processing. It explains so much about his behaviour over the last 6 months and I'm not sure how to handle it but he's talking which is a start. I'm crying even writing this now. He's had some fantastic friends around him and an amazing teacher at school who he eventually confided in. I will never be able to thank her enough. As I left him in his room yesterday he asked when he'd see me again and guessed it would be Christmas. He looked so sad and lost. I've told him he only has to ask and I'll be there (give or take a couple of hours) He's promised to throw himself into uni life as if the last two weeks of flu hadn't happened and I really hope he can.
On a funnier note, he'd been complaining that his fridge didn't seem very cold. When I checked, he'd unplugged it thinking he'd unplugged the desk lamp. That's more like my DS 🤦

Aw @mummyinbeds that must have been really hard for you, having to process that news and say goodbye to him in Sept - and then the Illness. I hope he can get some help with his mental health and also settle into uni life. What a worry for you.😢