Thread 45 GCSE Covid Cohort - Bunnies bouncing into Spring

[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

previous thread

@NCTDN we did the same as others and got prom suit from Next - had to do a bit of trying on in one visit and then online ordering (and then exchanging as size STILL didn't seem right), so it's wise of you to build in the time. Was all very quick and generally painless, though. And he's worn the suit now to uni dos so it has had decent ROI.

Shopping for prom suits was much easier than for the girls' prom dresses! No boy instagram groups where you put up pictures of your outfit to stake your claim!

Hi all
I've only just realised that my comments haven't been posting (using my mobile) so I'm back on the PC. Thanks to all that replied to my post about DD being tired etc and also your hobbies. Was interesting reading. Also sorry to hear about various illness, sad events and back pain. I've some catching up to do so will have a read through.

Nottingham Rutlanders (31 weekers) Just seen email stating that students have to be out of their rooms by 10.00am on Sat 1st April!! I knew it was 1st April but didn't expect it to be 10.am! massive pita for us. DD has a hockey match at either 10.00am or 3.15pm depending on what team she is in and DH has a hockey match here at 12.30pm so the plan was for him to go to her after. Have to bin that now and he will have to miss his match or go the night before and DD miss hers! neither great option as last league match of the season... Also DD has practicals Thursday & Friday so can't come home earlier than that.

DD can't wait until April, she really is not enjoying Nottingham. She actually came home on Sunday for the week as just wanted to be here rather than there.. She is enjoying the course but hates Nottingham. I suggested she think about looking into transferring but she decided against it. She is hoping next year when in a house with friends will be better (and she is hoping to have a car to drive home when needed).. I am very surprised as I really thought she would love it there. Seems a lot of her uni friends go home or visit friends during the weekend and even during the week. She is also missing her bf although sees him every other week anyway... doesn't help that her school friends seem to come home every weekend so she is missing out on that too. Not a happy bunny but feels it's something she has to get on with and hope it will be better soon.

At least she is enjoying the course and seems to be managing (although very tired). She has agreed that if she doesn't feel better after being home all of April she will go to the doctors.

Oh no, sorry to hear she’s not happy in Nottingham @heifer. I’m sure having a bf back home is something to do with it though - not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just hard to split your time. I was in that situation in year 2 and I enjoyed year 3 much more once we’d split up! Hopefully that won’t be necessary for dd though and she’ll settle better next year. I think there’s a lot of pressure/expectations around uni being amazing - but life is rarely that amazing is it, there’s always going to be ups and downs, and struggles.

Dd is coming back on the Wed before 1st April as she’s got social events in Brum on the Thursday and Friday. And i expect she’ll want me to do all her washing before she goes to Wales on the Saturday! She says the food in Rutland has got worse and she can’t wait to come home and eat lots of pasta 😂

Just a heads up that 1st April is a train strike day. Ds has to travel from Leeds to Sevenoaks for the first day of NYMT and he is going to have to go down the night before after he finishes his last session and stay over in a Premier.

Out by 10am is bad Heifer, it gives no scope. Especially on a train strike day.

Wishing all of you with visiting DC (or soon to be coming home DC) a great catch up. It hit me yesterday for the first time when having breakfast with the mothers; she FaceTimed to wish HMD and wanted to stay online whilst we ate, which I said no to. I hate people on loud speaker/video in public, but felt really bad.

Whilst no return due to no official Easter break at TCD, we’ll go to her in a couple of weeks. With a long list of stuff to get like batteries, lamp bulbs etc :) And super noodles 🙄

@Comefromaway Thanks for the heads up re train strike- those at Rutland have to clear the whole room out including blu tak off walls! so DH will need to collect all her stuff anyway, but we did have her catching the train home later if she was playing hockey late as plan b so that's gone too..

Thanks @crazycrofter yes I'm sure having a bf here has made a massive difference to her experience. He is there often too which I'm sure has stopped her socialising with others as she would have done.
How is your DD feeling now? Has she recovered completely?

@crazycrofter @Heifer DS has said the Rutland food has got worse too. Might be just cos he's actually eating it now. He called me from breakfast this morning, probably to prove he knows breakfast time exists.
I need to collect DS on the Friday as we are traveling abroad to a family wedding on the Saturday. He has a tutorial until 5pm and if he's anything like he was at Christmas, won't have started packing when I get there. I envisage a late night exit. I'm still telling myself the savings of a 31 week room were worth it 🤔

@heifer she seems fine now, thanks. At least she hasn't mentioned being particularly tired, but I guess I'll be able to judge better when she's home!

@Heifer sorry to hear DD is not enjoying Nottingham. I know a couple of people who had sad first years but found their groove in Y2. Could she clear everything out of the room earlier in the week and just keep enough to stay like a hotel for the last few nights, could that work? For most train strikes there are now some services running, so may be worth checking the relevant service.

@NCTDN we ordered 3 suits from TK Maxx on line, and returned the ones he did not want, we took them to a store, but I think you can send them back free. They have a very random selection in stores, so get a better range of options on line.

Yeah @Heifer I think it is the bf as I was exactly the same in my first year. DS is coming back on the 3rd from Nottingham as he isnt in a hall where he has to clear out. In fact he is going back for 10 days in the middle as being at home is too boring apparently.

Does your dd know anyone in different accommodation to dump most of the stuff in the week before?

That’s a point @heifer @mummyinbeds dd leaves quite a bit of stuff in a friend’s room in Derby hall so she doesn’t have to bring quite as much stuff home.

I think reading these I'm glad dd has a longer accommodation contract so doesn't have to clear her room!

@Heifer
Very sorry to hear this Heffs. I don't know what to say. Ds1 is the opposite and hasn't been home at all this term, and says none/few of his home friends come home, and none/few of his new Nottingham friends go home, ever, rarely. Must be just a girl thing, or homebody type, plus the bf at home will make a massive difference.

Ds1 also says food got worse, but he doesn't care because that kid eats everything, is unfussy, and does so much exercise he eats such a tonne of food, he doesn't care. He did say he missed eating our food, can't wait to come home to my lasagne, and my spaghetti and meatballs.

He leaves nearly all his stuff with friends, when I pick him up, and there isn't that much to bring home.

He is having a blast and loving Nottingham and his course, and church, and hiking in the Lake District next weekend, white water rafting, and gym and chess, and playing squash, and having an absolute ball. So makes me sad to read yours. Hope things pick up!

I had notelets and a card from ds1, hand made card ds2. He wrote that he would never be there without me.
On the other side of the card he wrote back jokes: What did the man in Egypt do about his back pain? He called the cairopractor. I've got a hunch you might enjoy that. If not, I take it back.

Perfecting the ‘art of’ clearing rooms does have its benefits though @NCTDN?
On the notion of ‘the arts’ I want to congratulate @PhotoDad for an absolutely fabulous contribution on a thread I read this morning!
Whilst you didn’t get the recognition you deserved I want to thank you for: ‘In to the Valley of Maths’- couldn’t stop laughing 🤣🤣

@Heifer I’d go with @Monkey2001 suggestion: clear DDs room prior to ‘her moving out day’ and then she only has what is needed for a few days to ‘lug home’ via train?
Hopefully, she has a friend on a longer contract that would store her bedding?

Sounds really annoying logistics, @Heifer, and I hope that your DD settles. Mine hasn't come home at all, probably because it's a 3-4 hour train journey. She's staying there for half of her two-week Easter break (and why not, so are her friends, and she's paid for the room!)

Thanks, @ProggyMat, the phrase just set me off. Not inspired to continue any further!

I'm looking forward to seeing DD when she comes home for Easter on Wednesday. Term finished for her on Friday, but she has stayed up as she was in the Durham inter-college Cheer comp at the weekend, and then is a rep at the offer holder days on Tuesday and Weds. Her group of friends plan on doing a grand tour of each others houses over the break.

She doesn't think she has much teaching when she goes back, but has 3 exams in mid May. She will be keeping herself busy though as she has picked up backstage roles in 2 productions (she hasn't had any joy auditioning for parts yet), and is doing the marketing/PR for the college fashion show fundraiser. She has also signed up to be one of the college welfare/peer support team so will have training to do for that. I am exhausted just thinking about it, but really pleased that she is throwing herself into things.

@Heifer sorry your DD isn’t enjoying uni as much. I hope she feels refreshed after Easter and settles better. It will be more fun next year when she’s living with her friends

Just popping in quickly to wave hello. I have no exciting updates or news but didn't want to drop off the the thread. DS not home from Notts til next week. He reckons he has nothing after Tuesday but I am suspicious he just wants to come home early...

I am a bit irritated that he hasn't sorted any Easter hols work and is expecting us to just give him cash for sitting on his arse at home. We have made lots of suggestions to him but he's swatting them all away.

Why would you give him cash? My ds hasn't got any work at Easter either (in fact he is away at NYMT residential for one week) but we won't give him any cash. We will of course feed him but if he wants to go out/anywhere he will have to use whatever he has left. He should t be fair, be OK as he accompanied a concert last weekend for which he was paid well.

At the start of the year we did ask him if he preferred our parental contribution (top up to full loan) to be spread out including holiday periods or just during term time and he chose term time only.

We don’t give anything in the holidays either and dd has told her zero hours employer that she’s available for 3 weeks over Easter l. She’ll have a cash flow issue though as she won’t be paid until the end of April. She’s still suffering from having to cancel her shifts at Christmas because of glandular fever which meant her funds are lower than they should be. She’s got various social plans in April and May that need paying for, including a trip to see a friend in France, but she’s not quite exhausted her trust fund money yet so I hope she’ll be ok.

@Comefromaway he thinks he'll get the same as we give him while he's away, we've had the usual line of 'everyone else gets this much money' like this isn't my first rodeo with that old nonsense. 🙄 Obviously he'll get food while he's here but spending on entertainment, not a chance.

@crazycrofter DS went to Italy for a short trip on his birthday last month (it was cheap as chips but still!) and has already booked himself a summer holiday with his mates in Spain. he'd better find a job or else that won't be happening!

As I said, we were really clear up front. Told Ds the annual contribution we would make and asked him how he wanted it divided.