Thread 53 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Happy New Year 2025 to our fab young people

[Delphigirl]

New thread! Looking forward to traversing 2025 with this fantastic group 🎉😘

@Oblomov24 that’s great news, my DS has just had a similar two weeks of partying, exploring, days out etc and loved it. I’m bringing him back tomorrow and that’s it, he will no longer be a student. I feel a bit emotional! It only seems like 5 mins since I posted here about feeling emotional on the day we dropped him off.

Expensive, this is the end of an era! All our little tiddlers doing GCSE's, now graduating.

Can we talk about graduating ceremonies, do they choose what to wear under their gown. Do we all choose an entire as the proud mums?

I think suits for the boys. Nice dresses for the girls. Smart but unobtrusive for the parents. There have been a few threads on style and beauty about it. I have had to up my game on the smart clothes a bit since I became a school governor (I have always worked in totally casual places and if I have to go from one to the other I switch from blazer and shoes to hoody and trainers in the car). DS’s isn’t till mid Sept so we have a while to prepare for it. That’s if he ever gets round to booking tickets 🤦‍♀️.

Is this now 7 years of this thread?! I don’t have much of a smart wardrobe either @ExpensiveDecoration - I hate dressing up! From walking past grad ceremonies at UoB, I can confirm that you can wear pretty much anything! The African families tend to get really dressed up but there are always some in smart-casual (or even casual!) too.

I hate dressing up too, especially the shoes (I live in Birkenstocks and trainers). There’s another thread I’ve been on even longer, since before DD started school (2009). But unlike this one people come and go, it isn’t a year group thing, but I have made some good friends over there by switching to FB/messenger. These long running ones are the threads than keep me coming back to MN even when it is all going a bit tits-up.

Anyway, I’m off to bed. I have decided to make an early start tomorrow then I can have a little wander round my favourite parts of the town and a coffee by myself before I pick DS up. He has to be out by midday, I suspect we will be chucking everything in Ikea bags at the last minute, luckily you can park very close to his room which is on the ground floor, there are some advantages to small unis.

I can't believe DS is heading (hopefully) towards graduation. Seems premature to think about as his exams haven't started but his grad is early July. Boys have to wear dark suits and white shirts. Grad stuff is ordered. I hate tempting fate! I also don't like dressing up. My work stuff is smart casual - v casual for a law firm. DH has got new suit from good old Marks and sparks - last suit was his wedding one 24 years ago. I've got a dress from Seasalt. I'm over 3 stone lighter than when we dropped him on 3 years ago so although I hate public dressy things am happier than I would have been dressing up! DS got teaching assistant college job for summer so need to see if he can leave stuff there as he has 4 days between grad and job starting.

Hope your day goes well @ExpensiveDecoration

DD is already done, and waiting for her final results. We’re on our way to collect her and her stuff now. (I’m tryping this from a Premier Inn in Bridgewater). Hotel already booked for graduation in July. Apparently it’s no longer in the Cathedral in Truro, which is a shame. Seems to be in a hall on the Penryn Campus now.

DS has one more week of his first year left. We have to collect him from the opposite end of the country next weekend.

Congrats to all our new graduants. Where has the time gone? there's a few of us graduating next yr due to work placements/yrs abroad otherwise there all done. I feel sad almost tearful it's all coming to an end, I know it's silly & irrational but i felt the same with ds1 (2023). The weird thing is i didn't feel sad or weepy at all when they moved off to uni, unlike many posters, I felt ecstatic they were onto their next stage of life and kept beaming and couldn't understand what all the grieving especially on WIWIKAU was about, but this stage just feels like a final farewell of some sort (even though ds1 lives at home!)

I was the same @Shimy - apart from drop.off day going to uni just felt like the next exciting stage. Leaving uni is a whole different reality of uncertainty.

I only just saw this thread, but it's lovely how you have all been supporting each other for years. Wish I had joined in the Covid days.

Hi @CharlotteRumpling - yes it's a great thread.

DS is travelling shortly, graduating in July, working over the summer and then off to do a Masters, possibly at Cambridge or if not, at LSE. Cambridge has been a dream for him for years. He hasnt even mentioned the graduating ceremony!

I feel very tearful because the Covid years were HARD. I am also struggling a bit with empty nest.

I think I’m the opposite @CharlotteRumpling. I’ve been fine with both kids being at uni this year. I’m a bit nervous about adapting to having DD home full time. Especially as she doesn’t have a job yet. Although I expect she’ll pick up something casual/PT while she hunts for something more permanent.

Oh DS has been living with us the last year. But I barely see him. Far too busy. Living with them has its own challenges.

All this talk of graduation feels very strange. I never considered whether my graduation was a big deal for my parents (who both left school at 15). I guess it must have been - my dad wore a suit 🤣
I'm currently in Aberystywth waiting for DD to wake up so I can help her clean her house. She's staying there next year so we don't need to move her stuff out thank goodness. Then it's a mad rush to get her ready for her six weeks in Ghana - she flies on Thursday.

Welcome @CharlotteRumpling .

I'm just having a few moments to myself before picking DS up (having a cuppa in town). We haven't had an empty nest yet and none in sight with DS coming back just as DD goes off to uni in Sept. I was talking to friends with DCs the same ages (2 year gap) who have just had a year of it because no gap year for their DC2s, we have had quite different experiences. We have had literally one night so far when neither has been at home because DD is such a homebody and has never gone away with friends (that night was when she came up here to stay with DS). I partly envy my friends their freedom and partly feel glad we are not on full empty nest syndrome yet.

Always room for one more @CharlotteRumpling !

DS going to university. did make me feel end of an era and a bit sad. I think I felt I was a bit redundant now (though still working) whereas graduation feels totally his. He's coming back home as has a job for September locally. I'm optimistic it will work okay as he will have his sports too and I have made an effort to do more in the evenings myself. DH will mutter about evenings home alone but he disappears bird watching at the weekends.

Welcome @CharlotteRumpling , I'm sure we'll still be here for a while - there are lots of us with students on four year courses, or who had a gap year, others who are doing masters in September. It's been such a great group!

I had a brief taste of empty nest between Feb and May, when dd finally went back to uni and ds was abroad. It was lovely, so quiet and so much time to myself! Now ds is back and he's such a big personality, there's no escaping him! He's got a very loud voice and he loves discussing everything and anything at great length. And he's also quite physical, he's constantly doing hand stands in the kitchen, shadow boxing etc, and generally breaking stuff! And he is trying to learn Seal's 'Kiss from a rose' on the piano, so we have that on repeat. It's lovely to have him back though!

I think I'll just feel happy to have a bit of peace for a while once he goes off to uni in September. I'm pretty sure dd will be back once she's graduated, although she does have plans to travel.

I suspect graduation is quite a hard transition for a lot of young people - it will be interesting to see how the students here who are finishing this year get on, especially if they're living at home again.

The energy from your boy just makes me smile @crazycrofter. So pleased he got back safely.

Welcome @CharlotteRumpling!

I think mine misses us more that us her :) Or she just gets jealous that when she calls we are out and about, and she can't believe life does actually go on without her!

We have been empty nesters for a year now. DS came home from university late last night (11pm) with a car full of stuff after clearing his room and cleaning his student house. He is off again tomorrow to Europe for a month to compete in his sport. He has a 16 hrs of driving to do over 2 days.

We had a lovely time on Tuesday helping him chose a house share for his grad job. He is moving to a town where he does not know anyone. It is nice that he still wants us to share these days with us and values our opinions. And for us, it is good to see where he will be living and his office and surrounding area. He is one hour closer to home, which is a bonus.

Aw @ealingwestmum how dare you continue to live your lives without her! Lovely that she misses you though!

@Aslockton that's great that you're still so involved. Good luck to your ds with the move and new job!

@ealingwestmum ds has also come back with two new hobbies - gymnastics and ice skating! He's buying his own skates tomorrow apparently.. Anything is better than motorbikes!

It’s nice to see YP like your boy have the self confidence to give new things a go @crazycrofter, and not get derailed by the newness and how long it may take to get ‘good’ at something.

A ex school mum locally to me took up bmx racing at 50. It was initially to bond with her youngest who did the sport, until she did so well she was competing in World Championships for her category. Yes she broke her collar bone in between, but it never stopped her. Very impressive.

I’m lucky if I get to the gym a handful of times a week. It’s a real challenge mentally, but I also think the 7 years post menopausal but still have all the cortisol/lack of sleep overhangs playing their part on my lethargy.

Definitely preferable to motorbikes @crazycrofter😁
I remember your tales.
@ealingwestmum major lethargy here too. I used to be really sporty & love classes. Now it's all I can do to walk the dog. I keep on meaning on lifting some daily weights, as it's meant to be good during the menopause, but never ( any excuse!) getting around to it.
Loving the graduation & hearing about all the future plans here.
Youngest is working very long hours as his work is very short staffed. Working from 10am- 10.45 pm & then at 10 am again for several consecutive days. They told him he can't go on holiday in June as they had no Applicants for the three jobs they're advertising .So he's said now he can't go away with his friends to Portugal. He seems to feel obliged to help out but will be leaving the job soon anyway.