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Parents of adult children

Wondering how to stop worrying about your grown child? Speak to others in our Parents of Adult Children forum.

Original poster

Thread 45 GCSE Covid Cohort - Bunnies bouncing into Spring

984 replies

OrangeCinnamonLatte · 18/02/2023 10:12

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

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icanbewhatiwant · 18/04/2023 18:23

I haven't been on here for a few weeks. I've just had a bit of a catch up, but not read everything. Ds2 arrived home on the Saturday in the end...remember I'd booked the week off so I could visit my dm for a few days then collect Ds but he didn't want to come then? He came home anyway. He's been home ever since. He doesn't seem so eager about going back. He was desperate to get back at Christmas. He says everyone is staying in their rooms a lot now, especially the girls and it's getting boring, one of the lads has always spent weekends home anyway. The kitchen sink keeps blocking up so they can't wash up too. He's getting the train back on Sunday. Just one week of lectures left. Then he has essays for the final assessments. His campus rental runs out about 23rd June. His house rental starts august, but Ds will be working full time here then. It will be annoying paying rent and bills for almost 2 months when he's here. Hopefully the house rental will be going ahead as we've not paid the deposit yet, apparently one of the girls hasn't got a passport, they insisted she needs one to be able to rent the place. So the hold up is waiting for the passport.
Ds has gone to watch Ipswich play this evening. He's managed to watch 3 games. He's missed watching them.

Comefromaway · 18/04/2023 19:28

My daughter doesn’t have a black box. It was cheaper to have her as the main driver with the rest of us named than the other way around but it’s the Admiral multi car policy.

Monkey2001 · 18/04/2023 19:49

@Heifer our black box policy is in DH's name, with all of us as named drivers.

MargaretThursday · 18/04/2023 20:15

We found the black box made a huge difference when dd1 had just passed her test. (family car)
She passed her test in August with the insurance due for renewal in November. When dh phoned the insurance company to say they wanted another £700 just for the 3 months to renewal time. Dh cancelled on the spot and phoned round. With a black box, we found one place where the insurance for the year was less than £700.

crazycrofter · 18/04/2023 21:25

Our car is only 4 years old (so it’s CAZ friendly @Monkey2001 ) and it seemed impossible to add dd to our insurance for less than about £900-£1k a year, so we plumped for Marmalade pay as you go (although the amount she’s driving it night end up more expensive for the year!) with the black box. I’m hoping that come next year she’ll be cheaper - if she hasn’t had her insurance cancelled for too many red journeys 😱

ZandathePanda · 18/04/2023 21:30

We’ve had fun and games insuring the car for Dd1 (Dd2 isn’t allowed a provisional licence). Many wouldn’t even insure her. Marmalade wouldn’t insure her after she passed. Admiral came out cheapest.

EasilyDirected · 18/04/2023 22:12

Not brilliant quality as massively zoomed in but thought you might like my latest wildlife photo

EwwSprouts · 18/04/2023 22:21

@EasilyDirected Very cute.

PhotoDad · 18/04/2023 22:26

@EasilyDirected Awwww!

NCTDN · 19/04/2023 07:15

Re car insurance, dd hada black box for the length of time the day they needed to collect data. After 3 months they asked for it back.
That's with admiral multi car. It's a policy in her name with us as named drivers and then my car is also on there but as policy in my name. So much cheaper than anywhere else.

NCTDN · 19/04/2023 07:16

@PhotoDad I know why you I keep that user name! Amazing pics.

Oblomov23 · 21/04/2023 21:29

I can't post on MN on my phone atm. My 'threads I'm on' is blank. Have I been banned. On work laptop to post this.

Piggywaspushed · 21/04/2023 21:41

No, I can see you!

Oblomov23 · 21/04/2023 22:14

Thanks Piggy. I have no idea what is going on.

kiwiandcherries · 21/04/2023 23:02

I had the same problem, had to log out and log back in again and that sorted it!

PhotoDad · 22/04/2023 10:21

Hope you get it sorted, @Oblomov23.

DD's deadline to hand in all her portfolio work, plus two essays, is the end of next week. Having spent a week of her Easter holidays "getting ahead," she's just submitted it all this morning! Which means... she's finished for the year. In April. To be fair, she started early with two long semesters, short holidays and no reading weeks.

She now has a 21-week break if I've counted correctly. I do hope that she manages to arrange the travelling she had talked about with friends, and also find some work to help pay for it (although she's under budget for the year).

EwwSprouts · 22/04/2023 17:18

@PhotoDad Crikey that's an early finish. From what you've shown on here I'm sure she will achieve a super grade.

DS is just packing for his return tomorrow. He's going to a hockey ball tonight so I'm not expecting a chatty trip in the morning🙄

Piggywaspushed · 22/04/2023 17:22

DS's last lecture is 9 May. It is silly early.

Comefromaway · 22/04/2023 17:36

Ds’s last teaching day is this Friday but then he has 6 weeks of assessments and deadlines including rehearsals

crazycrofter · 22/04/2023 22:32

No idea when DD’s last lecture is as she watches them all after the event in the library and she’s still got a backlog 😂 Her exams finish 31st May though. She’s currently debating coming home for a week then (as friends still have exams the next week) to fit some warehouse work in, then going back for a weekend of partying, before holidays in Spain, Morocco and Croatia! She’s not mentioned study yet but she has a week left and has designated Monday as her study day 😂That will be one day of uni work in a four week holiday 😱 but she’s earned a fair bit and sold over £200 of clothes so not wasted time…

EasilyDirected · 22/04/2023 22:45

I’m not sure when DS’s last lecture is but he has to be out of halls by the 28th May. If it’s like the last semester the last three weeks or so will be “exam period” but his is all assignments this year. He’s coming home for the long weekend next weekend which will be nice.

KingscoteStaff · 23/04/2023 07:54

DD back in one piece from ski-trip - with the nicest stash fleece I’ve ever seen!

She’s heading up today for 3 weeks of lectures, 2 weeks of revision, 3 weeks of exams and then summer fun! She has to be out of Halls on June 28th but her house let starts on Aug 1st, so I fear EVERYTHING will be coming home…

icanbewhatiwant · 23/04/2023 20:11

My app hasn’t been working for a few days. It’s just blank. So I’m still on my phone but using google.
Both my boys had black boxes. First 2 years with marmalade Ds1 used insurethebox too. Ds2’s insurance this year was about £500 that’s quite a lot considering he’s hardly driven it. He’s been home 3 weeks for Easter and driven it 3 times. But he will need it daily when he starts his summer job.
Ds went bank to Sussex today. He didn’t want to go, not quite sure why. He says he works better there though. He’s got a few weeks of hard work, then year 1 is finished.

crazycrofter · 23/04/2023 22:02

The only benefit I’m getting from DD’s expensive insurance is that she can do some of ds’ pick ups. She’s out now picking him up from the station.

Hope ds is ok with those girls next year @icanbewhatiwant if they’ve suddenly gone anti social. This is the problem with them having to sign up for houses so soon 😬 Dd is sharing with a Psychology friend and two of her friend‘s current floor mates. She didn’t know them really when she signed up for the house, but they’re now some of her best friends and part of her core friendship group. It’ can go either way but it’s definitely a big risk.

Zebracat · 23/04/2023 22:50

Hi all. Been missing for ages. Our yp is ok, but I’m not. I feel all parented out. She hasn’t managed to get a job so, with the exception of 4 days away, she’s been here since December. I asked her what her plan was this week. She says she wants to go to Uni, looking to find a place in clearing to do digital media.she doesn’t seem to want to take the deferred place at Exeter. I don’t understand where this has come from, the courses she’s interested in suggest a potential career as an influencer. We were looking at apprenticeships in January and there were lots in that area, and she wasn’t interested. Really doesn’t seem worth getting into debt for. On the other hand, she would at least be gone in term-time, to give us all a break. I’m really struggling. I cant be enthusiastic about this plan, I feel that it’s very unlikely to engage her, or help in any future career. But maybe I’m a snob. I feel that anything I suggest is doomed to failure. I was so protective of her before, and I think it meant she didnt get a realistic sense of how tough adulting can be, so I’ve left her to get on with it since she left Uni . Maybe I should have done more to help her get a job. She doesn’t seem depressed or unhappy though, which is good. I am, and old and tired . I’ve been unwell. Still waiting for a hip replacement. I want my life back.