Thread 55 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 25 - Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[Oblomov25]

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.
Previous thread 54:
Thread 54

Oooh, that’s exciting @Aslockton our first thread DC house purchase!

@Seeline my DD keeps busy as she works far better under pressure, I do too, I tend to pack my life with activities and fit the boring stuff into small windows of opportunity to motivate myself. Having said that I am having to really pace myself at the moment with all the parent stuff going on, it’s completely exhausting. My DD is planning to come home for part of reading week too which will be nice and she is coming home the last weekend of November too as we have a few things planned that weekend which I’m looking forward to.

@Aslockton DC house purchase is huge! Hope the process goes smoothly for them and doesn't add to your worries.

@EndlessDistraction Lovely to have visits from DD to look forward to. Elderly parents and the admin keep us on our toes. Can I moan that my brother is as helpful as a chocolate teapot?

Fingers crossed for your DS @Aslockton I remember the thrill / terror of buying my first flat in Ealing a million years ago! DS has talked about buying in two years, he has his sights possibly set on Manchester but wants to get qualified first to give him better job prospects.

@Aslockton exciting news ! That is so grown up, getting your own place! Hope it all goes smoothly.

@EndlessDistraction lovely to have your DD back soon. Have a fab time together.

I feel everyone's pain with useless brothers. Our parents died many years ago - it'll be 30 years this Christmas since my mum died which I find almost impossible to believe. I was v close to my brother when we were young but oh my goodness he is someone who spectacularly screwed up his life as an adult. He went from stable mid 30s adult with great job via drugs to someone v shady.

DS finished archaeology job last Friday. He is doing paid coaching at his College this week for rowing and hopefully starting school job Monday although there has been a recall of some incorrect DBS so hoping he isn't one. Still no progress from Army so he has emailed them again. He has two postgraduate offers in - Roman archaeology at York and something at Durham. He is meeting some professor at C this week about his application there. I'd rather he did it through the Army where he gets paid and it is free!

Exciting times for your ds @Aslockton !

Enjoy catching up with your dd @EndlessDistraction 🙂 Dd is home for less than 24 hours at the moment, for a hospital appointment, which is lovely. Now they're in the same place, she can update us on her news and ds', so it's 2 for the price of 1!

Hope ds hears back from the army soon, @craggyrat. He's got lots of options though hasn't he, even if they do have quite different financial implications?!

How is ds' job going @JustHereWithMyPopcorn ?

Nice that your DD is back @crazycrofter even if just for a short while. Mine isn't back till the weekend in fact we have a rare empty nest for a few days as DS has gone back to see some friends in the year below at uni as he's not working till Weds.

Sorry you've got chocolate teapots too @craggyrat and @EwwSprouts - I sometimes think I'm a bit harsh on mine but there are some long term issues around him and my parents which set me off quite easily and I have to remember we are all under some stress at the moment.

@craggyrat your DS sounds busy! Fingers crossed for a response from the army soon but good that he has other offers.

I also have a useless brother - is this a universal thing? Or is it just when they have sisters to take the load?

Lovely that everyone is enjoying some time with their DCs at home even if is only 24 hours. I do feel bad now as sometimes I wish DS would go back! 😂

@crazycrofter DS is actually really enjoying it, he will be registering next month to take his SQE1 which I think is in January, although he seems to think it might be a limited thing on numbers so is currently panicking about how to make sure he gets registered and getting work to pay for it on time. I've said we'll pay for it if need be and he can claim it back from work (they have given him the green light to go ahead and they will pay).

That's great @JustHereWithMyPopcorn , sounds like it's worked out really well for him!

Joining the queue on the fuckwit brothers, in my brother's case the language is highly appropriate.

But, he is my mother's son, on a pedestal and can do no wrong. Or do anything at all such is the challenge of distance, living in California that somehow extends into not being able to call her more than 2 times a year, struggling to go beyond 2 minutes before the line of 'i'm busy, I'll need to call you back' gets trotted out.

Have everything crossed for your DS @Aslockton that his offer gets accepted and no further attempts at shafting him. Gazumping/held to ransom before exchange threats seem to be rife right now, we need to adopt more of the Scottish rules, but accept that may include the Offers Over challenge!

Loving the interim visits from the respective DC - we had a short one too last week, kept as a surprise from DH, he actually cried when opening the door. Tough year build up I think driven by the day to day heaviness that comes with elderly parental management. I know we are all in a similar club here.

Exciting news for ds. He has got three confirmed performances on a national tour early next year.

He was meant to play for the same tour this year but he is not now needed for those dates. However the dates he has been asked to play are much closer to home.

DS was out-bid. The vendor accepted an offer above asking price. He is disappointed, but other places will come along.

@craggyrat get DS to keep on at the Army. DD was all set to start a grad scheme in transport consultancy and move her life to Cambridge when she heard out the blue that she would be starting naval officer training with the next intake (this was 6 weeks away). She heard of other officers only getting a week’s notice of starting at BRNC.

Very exciting @Comefromaway !

@Aslockton funnily enough after his email prompt he has had optician form from Army today for sign off by his optician and something about sponsorship of pgce. No idea what that is but we should find out more when he's home

Hi all, would it be ok if I pop my head back in after a very lengthy absence?
I did read post’s intermittently
but was embarrassed to
post after a long delay. Feeling braver now….

Hi & welcome back

Welcome back @Heifer. post as much or as little as you like, I hope I am speaking for everyone on this thread.

@Heifer post whenever you like - many of us dip in and out.

Pleased to report that DD managed her first solo motorway trip from Norwich to south London! She's home for the week having not been back since the start of September which is lovely.

That’s a great run @Seeline, clocking up well earned ‘flying’ hours/experience given how complex that journey is to South London. Enjoy having her home.

Phew @seeline!

welcome back @heifer - I’ve been wondering how you are and what dd is up to

Welcome back @Heifer lovely to hear from you.

Good news about the solo journey at @seeline.

DS needs to get optician sign-off for Army from optician which is Marks and Spencer. He had eye test last month but his optician is away until very end of November so the staff are saying it will have to wait until then. Honestly just fill it in and get other optician to stamp it. He's happy to pay. So frustrating. I think he will just have to go elsewhere and pay for another test and get new optician to sign it off. Grrr.

@Heifer
dont be daft! All welcome here, you know that!

So exciting about house buying - seems impossible that I bought my first flat at 23 - back in the days of MIDAS!

DD has just organised her Year 5 house - that’s an October trauma she won’t miss. All Medics now, as all her other friends will have finished.

She’s just done her first intubation…

Oh wow @KingscoteStaff ! Serious stuff

@kingscotestaff that is very impressive!

Hi @Heifer good to hear from you, lots of people come and go from the thread and it's always lovely when people come back after an absence.

@KingscoteStaff very impressive, that word (intubation) always remind me of ER.

thanks for the welcome back. Glad to be back. Will hopefully catch up on what everyone is
up to.
DD graduated - had a lovey
day in July, although DH & I
was almost late as got stuck in traffic, was an awful experience being in the car thinking we were going to miss it. The traffic was bad as soon as we left and then all the way there! Luckily her bf was with her.

She is now doing a Masters in Public Health (International) at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine so she is now living back at home.

She also has her first proper job (aside from Swimming coaching and gardening) at a golf course working front house and at the bar. She is loving it. Really suits her as very formal, old fashioned smart uniform, all 4 servers put the plates down at the same time
kind of establishment. She is encouraged to chat to the guests if they speak to her first etc. So there are rules to follow
which I think makes it easier for her. She enjoys the hobnobbing
😀 she also knows a lot of the players/guests from living here most of her life.

Lastly she has joined a new hockey club, making their 1st team, So all in all doing really well.
that’s enough from me, will post about me another time.
would love to know what you and your DDs/DSs are up to though.