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

DBIL had meningitis at 19 and so did my sister's then boyfriend. Both his eardrums perforated and he got permanent hearing loss and lifelong susceptibility to infection.

Ds’s friend (the one applying this year)hasn’t even had the covid vaccination. He’s not anti vax just scared of it I think.

That makes me determined to talk to DS about having the second meningitis b vaccine over the Christmas holidays. I will look up some available times and suggest some to him. For info we found that Superdrug had a lot better availability than Boots near me, price was the same or very similar, so worth looking there.

We have him home, his gf's dad brought them back on Friday, It's lovely to see him, but the usual niggles between him and DS1 are springing up already. Overall they get on ok, but would never be best friends but DS1 didn't go to uni and thinks DS2 (the one I write about here) is the favourite child, not true but there is resentment there. Aghhhh!

Ds2 says he doesn't get ill. That's a silly attitude really. He's not had covid as far as we know nor freshers flu. So he doesn't see the point in vaccines. I've just had ds3 off school the whole week, he was playing on it though, I think he should have gone back Thursday, he suddenly felt much worse at 7am when I suggested school, I don't think he's ever had a whole week off, certainly not from mid primary age onwards.

I noticed when looking online that a pharmacy right by Sussex university has meningitis B vaccines for students. I didn't look at the price as Ds won't go.

This talk of Men B vaccines is making me think I need to get DS sorted. I shall see where it’s available here.

He’s been home since Thursday and been out every single night so far. He’s getting in at 4 or 5 in the morning and sleeping all day. He didn’t come home at all last night and just stayed out today to watch the football at the pub. So lovely to have him home. 🙄

I’m a bit worried he’s seen a lot of his ex over these past days, she even came round yesterday before they went out. I fear we will be back to heartache come the return to uni…

My DS, on the other hand, is still packing himself off to bed at 10.30!

I would definitely prefer that @Piggywaspushed !

We all like our sleep to be fair. You're in my house, you go to bed!

Dh cooked a nice home-coming meal for ds1. Tesco 1.2 kg (huge) Tomahawk steak (which they only have at Xmas) with chips, peas, Boursin stuffed mushrooms and onion rings. And a bottle of red. Twas nice.

Ds went to church this morning. He now says he wants to do confirmation. But his peers did this at his local Catholic Church whilst doing a'levels. He wants to do it now at Anglican? In notts? He says he's going to a Christian festival in wales at Easter. My mum is a committed tongues Pentecostal Christian and she's been to every camp going. (And taken me as a teen to most) , And we are visiting her, Chichester Ivy, on Boxing Day so I'll let her advise him on which are best to go to.

And then the gym. My boys watching football. Nice to have my 3 boys back home.

Surely ds will be bored. I'm sure the novelty will wear off by day 3 2? And Dh and ds2 will want to kill him.

He says not to worry but I am not entirely comfortable with the way they teach his course. I did my accountancy papers with BPP. 2 papers at a time. Up to London, Courses for weeks, revision sessions, mock papers, exam technique, how to deal with the timing of each paint, which is a mahoosive technique issue. He has had none of this. 3 ACA exam papers in Jan. I'll help him revise. I'm not happy.

That meal sounds nice especially the mushrooms.

How are you feeling now oblomov?

@Oblomov22 i did my ACA exams in three lots, all foundation papers in one go (less a couple I was exempt from), then all intermediate then all finals. A few weeks at college at a time except for finals when I think it was 3-4 months at college. I mainly did FTC but some at BPP, can’t remember which.

Is your DS doing 3 foundation exams in Jan? (Not sure exactly what the format is now). If he has been studying for the last couple of months that would probably be ok??

Yes, shame the tomahawk is no longer available, it looks great!

My son is 16 and exactly like this. I can't see it ever changing!

DS hasn't been out all that much since he got back, he stays up fairly late (watching the darts - we are all going on Thursday). Hockey got cancelled yesterday due to a frozen pitch. He went to meet a friend in town this morning but it was raining so they just mooched round the supermarket (neither drinks hot drinks so coffee shops aren't an option, they should have probably gone to Spoons). And he's been back volunteering at the museum this afternoon. Probably dead in thete with the football on and the weather(he took his ipad to watch the football) but they lose funding if they don't open.

I suppose they could get a cold drink in a cafe. They are funny boys sometimes.

We eventually managed to get all DDs stuff in the car. It is now all in our living room as we weren't expecting to have it all home before Christmas and have no where to put it. I don't think we'll ever get our Christmas tree up!!
She came and shook a bucket while I carol sang with my choir earlier, and has now gone to visit a school friend from the year below.
DS isn't home until Tuesday due to his part time job.

DS says the supermarket was fine as they both needed to do their Christmas shopping (I’m now expecting a pack of cheese footballs for my present) and the museum was really busy as people were out shopping but wanted to get out of the rain. Also their gift shop sells lots of lovely stocking filler stuff. So I was wrong on both counts there.

Total envy of the steak dinner. Hope you were able to eat your share @Oblomov22

DS went out with hockey friends last night and stayed overnight. Bumped into lots of other friends too so very social. Even got chatting to a lad he played football with up to age 9! He went to play tennis this lunchtime and they were going on to a pub to watch the football so who knows when he will reappear.

I've given up on shop shopping and am hitting Amazon for last minute gifts with delivery.

@EspeciallyD Hot chocolate is the answer!

At station collecting DS1. Haven't seen him since 4th September! 😘

@Monkey2001 Have you let go of him yet?

He doesn't like it! Or tea or coffee.

My DS drinks no hot drinks either. His friend in Warwick only drinks water. Nothing else, ever. Youngsters these days!!

I have no idea what time ds2 goes to "bed" he's in his room about 23 hours each day. His first meal of our day is around 6pm when I call him for dinner. He sleeps the whole day. It really winds me up. He's been coming down in the night to cook pasta. Everything is cleared away, but I can see a pan, cheese grater and colander on the drainer now. So he did the same in the night/early hours today. He did have the offer of a full time job for 2 weeks while home. But he decided against it as he has 4 essays to write. Of course he's been home one week and hasn't started them yet. I am trying to let him get on with it and ignore him.

DD is feeling aggrieved that we’ve moved to the ‘middle of nowhere’ and evenings at the pub with school friends will be more difficult. To be fair, train strikes are partly to blame. And she needs to pass her driving test….

She’s going to the Christian camp at Easter too @Oblomov22 , sounds like they’ve booked as a CU.

Ds is working full time this week, 8 to 5 and also next Wed-Fri. I think it will be a shock to the system but at least it will stop him getting into a total night owl pattern. Although I’m sure he’ll manage it between Sat and Tuesday! He’s usually going to bed around 4/5 by the end of a school holiday!