Thread 44 GCSE Covid Cohort - Countdown to Christmas & New Year

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

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

I only see some coffee shop type places open til 4pm at the latest? I think Monday will be back to normal? A lot of people were back a week ago though.

@AnneOfCleavage - glad to hear these the new job has been a useful distraction along with family support. I’ve been lucky enough not to loose a parent yet but seen how very hard it’s been for friends.
@EspeciallyDetermined : what an amazing place to be a governor. It’s such an important role and undervalued I think.

ds (who went back last week) seems to have settled back. Exams went well last week (more this week) and he’s been enjoying seeing everyone again.

Well. That's got to be my worst Rutland drop off so far. I got stuck in the mud outside the actual Rutland building, wheels spinning and totally stuck. Another dad helped Ds push the car, but they couldn't get it out, tried again. Finally moved. But worse still some twat Dad had by then nipped into my parking space I had been trying to reverse into. What an absolute FUCKTARD. So I now had nowhere to go, but straight back, and thus I got stuck again in more mud for a 2nd time. And it took 3 times /pushes to get me out. I was upset by this point. The dad helping us push said that the bloke who nipped into my space was a total idiot. At least the journey home was ok.

Oh dear @Oblomov22 that sounds awful. Impressed you are home already though.

Oh dear @Oblomov22 i think I would have cried 😩😂. Makes me glad I’m not taking dd back yet. She’s got progressively worse every day so who knows when she’ll be up to it. She’s emailed personal tutor, head of Psychology and submitted the extenuating circumstances form but heard nothing about tomorrow’s exam…

I was jumping in and out of the car many times to inspect the wheels. I'd never been stuck before and found it a bit frightening. When the man nipped into my parking space I said loudly 'what a twat'. To which man pushing agreed. Ds1 said I totally embarrassed him. I was so angry with ds that told him if he felt like that he could come on the train in future.

Oh oblomov, that sounds awful!!

Hope she gets better very quickly Crazy. Zebra I did indeed make good time home, but we did pack the car last night and did leave at 7am.

As I said, I am very sad how little ds1 integrated with us over Christmas. Glad he's gone back he's gone, quite frankly. And to even say that makes me incredibly sad that I do feel that way.

That sounds awful @Oblomov22! Driving (and especially parking) stresses me out anyway.

DD is driving back today. It’s such a long way (300 miles). I’m anxiously awaiting her updates. I get really nervous (which I think is understandable given she’s written off 2 cars in the last year).

@Oblomov22 I'm sat in Rutland now and just saw the mud. I'm grateful that DS's room is round the other side so I can park on the path/turning circle bit. Much more civilized 😁 DS was really anxious this morning but seems to have chilled out now we're here. He's just made me a sandwich and a cup of tea 🥰

What a nightmare @Oblomov22 ! Why do you have to go across mud to get into the parking spaces? I do hope you let down the tyres of twat dad once you got parked. 😡

Urghh, empathy for the parking stress @Oblomov22 . The only time I got stuck in mud was at a rugby match with plenty of front row boys happy to demonstrate their pushing strength!

DS1 went back today, trains were challenging with bus replacements from Gloucester to Worcester and York to Newcastle, so what should be a through journey of 8 hours with a short final bus was train, bus, train, bus, train, bus and is taking over 12 hours. I think I should probably have let him drive, but an 8.5 hour drive on his own feels a bit risky as he would be tired from too much socialising whilst home. He is now nearly in Scotland!

@Monkey2001 "Replacement bus service" is a phrase that still strikes terror in my heart from my pre-car days. (Didn't learn to drive until well after uni.)

Wow monkey, that's a long way.

@Oblomov22 so sorry to hear about your stuck in the mud experience, maybe at the end of the summer term we can laugh about it with you. Totaly agree with you saying the parking thief was a twat and although it's sad how you have found your DS to be this holiday, hoping it will be the worse he gets and things improve in future. DD was horrible a few years ago and is lovely ow (apart from not wanting to actually phone me whilst away).

@crazycrofter really sorry that your DD isnt any better, sounds horrible, hope the exam situation is sorted asap so she can relax and rest up rather than worrying about it.

I'm reading through DDs emails trying to find out for sure when the Welcome point is open so she can pick up her keys. I do not want DH to drive her back next Sunday only to find it's shut! We are already at a wedding in Gloucestershire on the Saturday and are driving there and back on the day so DH won't be impressed if he has a wasted 6 hour return journey the next day too... I think I am going to have to get DD to email someone to ask (or I will)..
I can't say she has done lots of revision for her 1 exam on 24th... I know she is planning on working hard this coming week but she has had so much free time over the holidays I feel she could have done a lot more. I'm sure she has done some revision late at night but would help if she didn't so much sleep during the day..

She did go to Amsterdam for a few days with her boyfriend which she really enjoyed. She is going to find it hard not being with him most days which worries me slightly as she could find it hard to settle in when she does go back.

I hope everyones DD/DS gets on ok when they do return, and hope Mums and Dads aren't too upset all over again.

Those that have decided not to return, its sounded like its the right decision and I hope feel better about things going forward.

First FaceTime with DD after taking her back last weekend. She has managed to turn herself actually nocturnal in a week (choosing to stay in the library until 6am when McDonald’s opens, then finally going home and to bed). Lectures start tomorrow morning so she’s going to have to power on through.

After getting annoyed with me every time I asked if she could possibly find out when her holidays are, she found out on her return when reading week is (mid Feb). Today she said she’d been quite anxious on returning because she didn’t know when she’d be coming home again … for once I managed to keep my mouth shut and not point out this was the very thing I also wanted to know, and she kept being pissy about.

The private halls she wants to move into next (this!) year have now got details up, one of the other girls has contacted them. It’s £89pw for a 51 week contract and £93pw for 44 weeks - fortunately it sounds like they’re all numerate enough to know the latter is actually cheaper … I’m surprised, obviously pleased, that the cost has stayed the same from last year. Really thought there would be at least a couple of extra quid a week due to energy costs.

@Oblomov22 Thank goodness there was a decent chap offering to help.

@Monkey2001 That sounds the worst Sunday train journey. Hope he's back now.

Rite of passage news - DS cooked for others for the first time this weekend. His flat don't mix but he did a spag bol for those he is sharing with next year. Rated "acceptable" 😆

@AnneOfCleavage i am so sorry to hear your news

That sounds awful @Oblomov22 , I would be really annoyed too. What a test! It is a shame how you have found DS these holidays but it seems to be quite common. I was expecting backlash from DS but he has slotted back quite well thankfully. Maybe it’s because we had low expectations 🤷‍♀️

First exam is tomorrow which he is sitting from home. He is then going back on Wednesday to sit the rest in person.

Asked him at dinner tonight whether he had checked his login (had previously asked several times) and nope not yet done that. I despair 😞. He seems quite stressed and overwhelmed about everything, I am torn as that is probably because yet again he has left everything too late but I do feel for him, he is clearly stressed.

That was meant to be twat not test!

@DontCallMeBaby less than£100pw? Wow!

@NCTDN yep! I think her current accommodation has gone up a fiver a week for next academic year but still squeaks in under £100. As it’s a big group I can see that they offer the same standard in Brighton for well over £200, it’s really quite eye-opening.

My week has started badly. I bumped my car, on a metal post, scrapped it and broke the bottom bumper. All because I was taking it to be cleaned because of yesterdays Nott's-mud-Gate. I burst into tears. Everything just feels all too much atm.

Oh no @Oblomov22 !! Here's hoping the week gets much better for you.

Oh dear @Oblomov22 , thins just going from badderer to worserer💐.