Thread 52 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 24 - Start of Uni Yr 3

[Oblomov24]

2024 Autumn, start of year 3 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.

51 Previous thread - 51.

Merry merry Christmas to you all, you lovely group of people. We have a full house here tonight, planning a morning with my mum at her care home, a late and long lunch, and just a really lovely day. I hope you all have a peaceful and joyful one. 🎄

Merry Chtristmas everyone. We have a really quiet one here, wth just 4 for lunch including my eldest sons father, who is alone and in poor health. This is our 3rd Christmas lunch, so looking forward to some salads in the next few days. My lovely Dh bought me a really classy set of clothes, which I insisted on wearing for our muddy dog walk, so I’m here in my knickers wondering if I can just put my lovely wide leg jumbo cords through the tumble dryer, or if they really need a wash…I’m seeing a friend later who hates Christmas- no family and limited friends. I invited her for the day but of course she refused. She does something really nice for me, so I’ve bought her some little gifts. Pretty sure it’s all she will get so I tried to wrap them nicely and made a real mess, so I wrapped them again, all together in 1 parcel and it looks like used ( toilet) paper. Should I go 3rd time lucky or cut my losses?
Dd ( she loves me calling her that , I discovered at the hairdressers last week after years of circumlocution), is enjoying a Scandinavian Christmas with her bf, although not a fan of the herring, it transpires.
let’s hope 2025 will have more pleasant surprises than nasty shocks, but if it doesn’t, at least we have each other. Happy New Year.

Lovely update @Zebracat . I like the herrings but can't face them on the breakfast buffet as they do in Scandinavia.

DMum was discharged last night, I ended up staying at their house as they really couldn't have coped alone but I'm home again now and we'll all go back after dinner (taking some for them to have this evening). I will probably stay again. DB is arranging carers but we can manage a few more days until that happens between us as both are off work.

@EternallyDelighted I suppose it’s better than trying to cope with an emergency and work, still tricky for you. I hope they live nearby.

Happy Christmas everyone. I dip in and out of these threads catching up with you all.

Btw we'll need a new thread soon. Does anyone want to start one?

Happy Christmas and Boxing Day now, everyone. We had a really lovely day with all 3 "children" here. Last year our DDs were both travelling so we only had DS here, which was still lovely, but a little odd as it was the first time to not all be together. I'm happy this year with all my chicks in the nest!

We have no elderly relatives who require care but I well remember the years when we did and my sympathies to those balancing extra care responsibilities over the holiday. I hope you get some rest for yourselves as well. I'm getting increasingly concerned about my mother, who lives in another country - she seems sleepy all the time now, spends the whole day asleep and sleeps the night through. She seems mainly only to wake up when I call or when my sister checks in on her. So I think I'll be planning a trip to see her earlyish in the new year.

Hope all manage some rest and relaxation and even some fun over this festive season! DS has lots of coursework to do but he gave himself yesterday off. Needs to get back to it again today, apparently. Right now I'm sitting with a cup of coffee and contemplating the chaos of Christmas presents but deliberately not thinking about tidying things up!

Merry Xmas everyone. We had a quiet one with my parents and DBIL and nephews, first one since DSis died so all a bit emotional. Went as well as it could do though. Quiet few days ahead with bits and pieces planned in but nothing too busy so looking forward to that.

I hope 2025 brings calm to all, particularly those dealing with downs and juggling life’s challenges. I for one will be pleased to see a new year in.

Started a new thread

Going to catch up on the last weeks posts soon, but I need to quick inspiration!!
DD is going back to Austria on Monday. It's her 21st two weeks later and we won't see her, so I need ideas for a present I can buy tomorrow and hide in her luggage!! I'm usually very organised...

@NCTDN a set of 2025 coins? Not sure how long they would take to arrive though...

There's an idea that could be for when she gets back.

@NCTDN its DS's 21st three days before he goes back to France and I'm equally disorganised and have no clue what to get him. My only thought so far is paying for a weekend skip trip - he can easily get to a few ski resorts from his uni city. I was actually on a uni ski trip for my own 21st and got engaged to now hubby. There's no fear of him doing that 🤣
How about a special necklace or bracelet ?

We’ve just got back from our trip to watch Ds’s panto. So proud. He was really tired after his long journey home Xmas Eve and back again Boxing Day morning so appreciated being at a premier inn 10 mins away from the theatre instead of a 40 minute commute by train.

Been trying to catch up on here as been a while.
Lots of 21st birthdays coming up I see 🥳 @NCTDN is she into Pandora? A ring or charm / bracelet? I made a collage of photos of every year of DH's life for his 30th and he did one for my 40th and DD would like one for a significant bday too so perhaps 21st - would your DD be into that?
A ski weekend for your DS sounds amazing @mummyinbeds

Congratulations on your DS's Panto @Comefromaway How proud you all must be.

@Delphigirl Thank you for a new thread - could you link it on here?

I hope your DM is doing okay @EternallyDelighted and also your DH @Oblomov24 and also @KingscoteStaff - what a time of it you're all having.

I loved reading your story of finding out DD loves being called DD by you @Zebracat and did you re-wrap your friend's gifts a 3rd time in the end?

We had a lovely Christmas and have a few events planned still but DH and I are having a quiet "just us" New Year's evening for the first time in over 20 years so looking forward to that. DD will be out with her boyfriend at a party to meet all his friends for the first time. She says she's more nervous meeting them than she was his family as she's great talking to "grown-ups" but finds chatting to contemporaries so much harder as she doesn't really drink and isn't in to going in a hot tub with strangers in a bikini at the party.
It's going really well with the boyf and he's round here quite a bit and is fast becoming part of the family - DD's grandma bought him a gift even though she's only met him once 🤭😂

@NCTDN
I too thought of cake, but they aren't back till the new year.
Just a couple of little vouchers and cards and beauty bits to tuck in?

53 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Happy New Year 2025 to our fab young people www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parentsofadult_children/5238666-thread-53-covid-gcse-cohort-happy-new-year-2025-to-our-fab-young-people Thread53Delphi

Happy New Year everyone. We had all the family (the ones that don't cause trouble!) round on new yrs day and we had so much fun and laughter. It was great to see the dc interacting with their cousins, one they had never met before who is a bit of a music celebrity and a whizz on the guitar much to ds2's surprise (plays guitar). We all flopped into bed in the early hrs, happy but knackered.

Arghhhh - snow!!! I have to take DS to the coach station for 3am, to get to Heathrow for his early morning flight. He's currently out (but on his way home). We live at the bottom of a pig of a hill. I'm really hoping the snow turns to rain in the next hour.
DD is also taking the coach back to Wales at lunchtime. At least that's less time critical and she doesn't actually have to go back for another few weeks.

Luckily for Ds he stayed over at a Premier Inn with his grandparents last night as the trains were cancelled this morning.

but his two friends are meant to be coming to watch panto tonight then help him get all his stuff back on the train (too much stuff for one person) so fingers crossed they all make it back.

I managed to accidentally delete mumsnet from my phone. I kept thinking I must put it back on, but kept forgetting. So I’m very behind with the thread.

Our news…those who remember us, ds2 went on his year abroad in Australia back in July. He met a gf out there, a non uni student. His first proper gf. Spent every spare minute with her, did no socialising with uni students. 6 months later they split up. So as Ds has no other friends there, he decided to quit. I am a bit annoyed at him really, I wouldn’t have put him down as the sort to give up. The university broke up for the summer in November and don’t return until the end of Feb. By then he only has 4 months of studies and he’s finished. He decided to quit mid November but isn’t home yet. He says he wants to work full time until he re starts at Sussex uni in October. At the moment there are hardly any students there as they all returned home for the summer. So he is in the flat on his own. I keep asking when he’s coming home, but he doesn’t reply. He has to pay £160 week rent for the flat until 1st July. So I guess it’s better that he’s using it.

I also said on here that my 3 ds’s wanted me to go to Japan with them in December. I wasn’t sure as I never go far and have only been abroad 4 times. Well…we did go. Ds3 (year 11) came with me. Ds2 went there from Australia and ds1 who was travelling when we booked it, but ended up being home, made his own way there. It was a huge culture shock for me. I found it overwhelming. But I soon got used to it. I’m glad I went. Though I’m never sitting on a plane for 15 hours again!!

Right, that’s our news, now to do some catching up with the thread.

@icanbewhatiwant So glad you made it to Japan! I bet your boys were really pleased.
More news to catch up on the new thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/5238666-thread-53-covid-gcse-cohort-happy-new-year-2025-to-our-fab-young-people?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

@Seeline thanks. I didn't look at the date to realise it wasn't actually the latest thread 🤦‍♀️
Do I paste that on the new thread too. I might.