Last night didn't go to plan.
We were going to have a sleepover and watch a film because we'd both said we wouldn't sleep. But she changed her mind because I think she just wanted to be on her own with her thoughts.
That is fine. I hugged her, kissed her, told her I loved her and said she knew where I was if she needed me and went to bed. But she also managed to get a few digs in around me being a bit incompetent and unsupportive and so what use would I be anyway.
My biggest fear for today is this. And it's hard to explain because there's obviously a lot of background that is informing my thoughts on this, and I can't possibly communicate all of that here.
She is really worried about getting the.grades she needs for her course. The offer was 3 Bs, which were her predicted grades so no wiggle room and she has convinced herself she won't get it.
She has already signed up to clearing and has pretty much convinced herself that she'll end up trying to find somewhere through that.
She has arranged to go to school to get her grades at 8am which isn't necessary because UCAS updates at the same time but she really wants to see her friends which I completely understand!
The issue is this.
She is spending the day at her dad's afterwards. So, if she does end up through clearing, she'll be doing it with him.
He won't consider any of the things i would with her because all that counts to him is being her cheerleader. So he won't consider the university, location, transport links, the suitability of the course she chooses, cost of living in the area, opportunities for part time jobs etc. I know her and she gave such consideration to the universities she applied to regarding all of those things. But, in a panic, she's likely to just accept the first institution/course that will have her. I
He won't care about any of those things because, ultimately, he doesn't have to. When she's at university, he won't be doing drop offs or pick ups beyond this initial photo opportunity, nor any emergency runs she might need. She'll be responsible for herself so if it's a pain in the arse to get back, he won't have to deal with it; if the course is completely unsuitable, it won't be his problem because he won't have to deal with it. If it's really expensive and she can't afford to live there, he wont have to deal with it. He can afford to be her biggest cheerleader because, when the chips are down, he won't have to deal with it.
He will promise her everything. He'll promise to support her, promise that he's only a phone call away, promise that, if she ever needs anything, she knows where he is. But when any of that is necessary, there will be a reason he can't come through then it will be entirely unreasonable for anyone to expect him to. She'll accept his excuses. But, I'll be expected to step in however impractical or inconvenient or realistically achievable because Daddy said he would and now he cant. You just won't.
While typing that, I can hear people thinking, "She's an adult now, have more faith, you sound controlling, her course is her choice" etc which is all true but whatever decision she makes will be made in panic and against a backdrop of him reassuring her that, whatever, difficulties she encounters, he'll be there for her, he'll fix it, he'll put it right, he'll sort it out for her and she'll be fine because he's got her back and he believes in her. But they won't be assurances based in fact, they'll just be words.
There are many instances of him doing similar. Making empty promises he can't possibly keep because they're unrealistic and just not within his power to control and then, when the inevitable happens, he lets her down and couldn't have possibly been expected to anticipate the entirely predictable outcome. Where as I'm the negative naysayer for saying right at the start, "That's brilliant. However, have you considered what you will do if <this entirely predictable outcome> happens?"
Then when it does happen because it was entirely predictable I'm not allowed to then say, "I'm sorry. I can't. I've already said what my capabilities amd limitations are and this falls outside of those," because "But Dad said he would." Yes, he did. But he didn't, did he? Because of this entirely predicable outcome that he just ignored at the time.
But then I'm being smug, unsupportive, and "I told you so isn't helpful right now." So, whilst it's not an "I told you so", it is a "There's nothing I can do about because I said if this happened I wouldn't be able to help" which is, absolutely, an "I told you so." 🙄
And all anyone else can remember is that Daddy believed in her, and Daddy had good intentions and would have if he could. And I said no.
Daddy said he would and now he cant. You just won't.
Anyway, I tried to go and speak to her this morning to wish her luck, tell her how proud I am of her whatever today's outcome and just got a load of sneery comments and snarkiness but now she's gone out without saying goodbye and I'm not even sure if she'll let me know the results because I'm just the enemy who doesn't give a shit.
I just feel like I've lost her 😢