Thread 51 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer 24 - End of Uni Yr 2

[Oblomov24]

2024 Summer, end of year 2 for those at Uni.

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). 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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@Shimy phew!

Well done on all the admin @mummyinbeds

I'm the same. DD is off in 10 days to Austria for a year. I have very mixed emotions

@NCTDN where abouts in Austria is your DD going? I'd be looking at ski holiday potential 😄 I've been checking out the French Pyrenees/Andorra but much prefer Austria.
As you can tell, I'm ignoring the fact that DS has to study Law in a second language and focusing on how I can benefit 😂

@NCTDN ooh love Austria! Whereabouts is he going? DS wants us to do Austria post graduation. I skied with my family for years but DH and DS don't ski sadly.

Mixed bag on the RAF medical. They need to contact GP to check no asthma in last 2 years so waiting on that. It's been at least 6 years so that's fine. Left ear needs to be re-tested as test didn't work but right ear 100%. The only concerning one was he had a huge amount of protein in urine test. GP said he is v healthy so doesn't think there is an issue. He has been on v v low carb high protein high exercise diet so hopefully it is just that. GP was v good and just said he will retest in a month and go back to normal diet. Still worrying though. As a baby he was hospitalised with kidney infection so I was concerned. Fingers crossed just diet as GP said he was v fit and couldn't see any other issues from physical exam.

@mummyinbeds so pleased that all is sorted. I understand Toulouse is a vibrant university town, gave only flown there once but stayed on the south coast.

I have such fond memories of my year abroad. My mum still has the letters I sent her including one saying that I would stick to letters as I couldn’t afford to phone from a phone box. Communication is so much easier now so at least you can see how they are doing. I am still good friends with those I was on my year abroad with and as the bonus met DH there! I am envious of your lot heading off.

@icanbewhatiwant if you can afford the trip without it causing issues then I would try and do it. It is such a lovely idea to do with your DSs. But, if the idea of going that far is really stressing you then also consider that. Only you know if it’s the right thing to push yourself.

Good luck to the travellers!

DW and DS have headed off to a week-long windsurfing thing in North Wales, and DD joined them by train along the way (miraculously everything worked out). They are camping, and 50mph winds are forecast; some "corkscrew" ground stakes should be delivered by Amazon today. I am staying safely at home and trying to get on top of school paperwork before term starts; we're due to be inspected next year.

@mummyinbeds @craggyrat she's going to Graz. Didn't know much about the place but it's meant to be beautiful. It's a fair way from the nearest ski regions though...

We're not far from north wales and the winds last night were really howling!

I hope it has calmed down by the weekend. Ds's band is playing at a festivak in North Wales this weekend.

I hope he gets the medical go ahead Craggy, but understand the wait for clearance is hard, but he is super fit right now and enjoying his extra c sports which is so great for his overall wellbeing.

DD has gone to stay with a uni friend for a few days so it's back down to the 3 of us, and the house feels more comfortable. I think DS was away so much last summer, I'd forgotten what 4 in the house full time felt like. I'm finding it really difficult with DH permanently WFH and 2 further people - I feel as though I am permanently being hunted down by someone and never have a moment to myself. I don't have a room where I can shut the door and just be quiet for a while, unless it's the loo, which isn't quite the vibe I'm searching for!
I'm rather envious of your situation @PhotoDad - sounds idyllic!

@Seeline I know what you mean. DH works from home more since Covid and I feel like he's always there asking me what I'm up to!

@PhotoDad no idea how long you've been waiting for an inspection. We were ten years and every September we'd say this will be the year. In reality the inspection was actually fine and the build up was just ridiculous.

@Seeline I agree, four in the house seems a lot now! Dh works from home most of the time, although he's out of the house for 3-4 hour stretches some days. At the moment dd is either working at the warehouse or out with friends, so it's not too bad, and she's away in Devon with friends over the weekend. Ds seems to have moved to later shifts at work, 1-10, so he's out most of the day. I've been working from home all summer, but I'm actually looking forward to going back to the office 2/3 days a week in September! I do tend to get called on even when they're at work - ds will come home in his breaks to cook his meals and I'll be texted to take the steak out of the fridge in advance! And dd will ask for lifts to and from work if she's running late, as it takes ages to put her steel capped shoes on and she can do it in the car if I'm driving. Just lots of little things...It's much easier when I can just say I'm at work!

Hope things work out for ds @craggyrat and the protein is just due to diet.

Yes - that's it, the constant interruptions! I started working from home on a very ad-hoc basis when the DCs were about 8 and 10. I had great routine until covid struck! DH hardly leaves the house now - he is supposed to be in the office 2 days a week but in reality goes in 2-3 times a month. DS is supposedly job hunting so is just hanging around the house - gets up at midday so is always a meal behind the rest of us. DDs job got cancelled when they read her medical background and said they couldn't make reasonable adjustments! She is often out and about, but usually wants a lift to/from the bigger station as we only have one an hour from ours, and no buses to the bigger one. There are constant cries of there's nothing to eat. Every time I go shopping I ask what everyone wants, and no one can suggest anything, so I just get the usual....

Good luck to the young people off on adventures abroad. Some fab destinations.

@craggyrat Hope a retest comes up with the right result.

@Seeline Sorry to hear that your DD had the job offer withdrawn. Is there merit in challenging that or does it become I don't want to work for them anymore as they won't try to understand?

Well done on year-abroad admin Mummy and NCT.
Good luck for medical Craggy.
Like Seeline I can't seem to get a moment to myself these days, and feel like I can't breathe.

@EwwSprouts I think it is in the past now. She has hypermobile EDS, so a job working on a kids holiday sports camp probably wasn't the best idea! She did 2 weeks at Easter, but was very tired. Then HR contacted her before the summer camp to see if she needed special adjustments. She asked for 3 day week (they only work 4 days as it is), but they said no. I think she couldn't really be bothered after that!

@Oblomov24 sorry you're suffering too. Not being able to breathe is a good way to describe it.

@seeline Blimey that's poor. Hope your DD secures something in a far better organisation.

That sounds worse than my current situation @Seeline - things have improved massively since both ds and dd bought cars. And it's helpful that they're out at work a lot of the time. I used to be popping back and forth to the station all the time in the holidays! Hope your ds finds a job soon!

Dd is away with friends at the weekend, then going to Nottingham next week to move stuff into her new house and do some shifts for her caring job. And then she's going to visit grandparents, so I'll have quite a long break (and I do like to work in her room!).

Ds is suddenly feeling unsure about his plans; he doesn't know whether he should go to uni and he's worried about coming back from travelling and ending up back at Tesco. He really enjoyed meeting loads of new people in Aberystwyth last week and wonders if people who do apprenticeships will be his type of people, and will he miss out if he doesn't go to uni.....🤔

@Seeline that so true about shopping. I ask what people want and get no requests. I buy the usual and get moans of how we have nothing in!

Glad it's not just me @NCTDN - I always feel as if I've failed in someway, despite having actually provided perfectly adequate food!

@crazycrofter yes - think the car- thing would help. Although DD has her licence, she's barely driven since passing as she has been at uni, and so still likes me to go to if she is going further afield or somewhere she doesn't know. And as I may have mentioned before (!) DS hasn't even started learning. Neither are in any position to buy a car.

Good luck to those siblings getting GCSE results today!

DS2 got his today, he's done so well I'm delighted for him!