GCSEs 2018 (16) - The Final Countdown

[mmzz]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3304925-gcses-2018-15-the-reckoning?

Concert tickets too - they normally need to be 16 plus to not have an adult with them ...

Concert tickets, buying party poppers, buying a pet, cinema/DVDs with a 15 rating...

Alcohol in a couple of years' time, though railcard unlikely to be accepted for that. DS (18) has a provisional driving licence for id, even though he is not yet learning to drive. By the way, even though I know it is legal for 16 yo to have a drink with a meal, nowhere we have eaten allows

Thanks Mmmz I will get DD to register herself to vote. She was also talking about a provisional driving licence as well, so will do that this week as well. Just started her CV as she wants to start looking for a weekend job. Child benefit form came in February and was returned the same day completed!

panda I hope you find the stone from your ring. DH lost his wedding ting twice - once I found it down the side of the tub chair he tends to sit on and the other time he lost it in possibly one of two places - supermarket when getting milk or bank. He was distraught. I went back to the store and asked at Customer Service desk and it was there! Unbelievably lucky.

Talking about our careers, I worked full time pre DD and then went back full time 8 months after she was born, using a child minder. With DS I was able to have a year off and went back 4 days a week, 28 hours. I did this until 4 years ago and I now do 5 days and 32 hours. Currently thinking of going back up to 34 hours (36 being full time) in April, as he is now due to start in high school

Wow only a short time to R Day - last week on NCS here and then a break

I am waiting for GCSE results too for DS2 and A levels for DS1

I don't envy those of you with a double batch of results.

Try the U bend of your sinks Panda and inside your freezer. I'm feeling virtuous as I spent 4 hours defrosting my freezer today. I was trying to recreate the ice hotel experience in our garage!

I am not looking forward to this Thursday. DS1's A-level grades are likely to be lower than his original aspirations, lower than those of his friends and more importantly, lower than needed for the university he wants to go to.

In comparison, the 23rd will probably be a breeze.

I'm glad it's that way round though. It would be hard for DS1 to get his results after DS2's.

When it comes to applying for a provisional driving licence, don't make the mistake we did with DS1.

There's an option to just use the photo from their passport; DH just ticked this without thinking much of it.

As a result, poor DS1 has ID (that he uses to buy alcohol and get into clubs) with a photo of himself aged 12.

Third - I love the DL...ID - I think I will do this .

I think your DS1 will surprise you ...but I cannot imagine how anyone with DC's with A level results this coming Thursday must be feeling (thinking I would like to bypass this in 2 years time)....oddly enough I thought about goodbyestranger today - 8 children, I cannot imagine what it must be like to give birth to 8 children, see them all start primary, 11plus ?, GCSE's and A levels and then degrees at Oxford and Cambridge (supermum comes to mind)....but I bet the atmosphere at home must be amazing and she must have a warm fuzzy feeling 24/7.

Third your driving licence story made me

Saw my SIL yesterday, I could have punched her apparently my DT (14) will “only” get an apprenticeship.

twin. Families can be awful.

Dd finally got around to clearing up the bags of revision from the dining room yesterday.

She is so much better at getting rid of stuff than me. Everything except English language (possible resit) and her three A level subjects is now in the recycling bin.

I'm a bit of a hoarder but I couldn't let her throw her GCSE books away before I did so I pulled a box out of the cupboard and threw away all my GCSE books from 1990 at least 5 minutes before she did!

It's inspired me to have a really good clear out today. Our house is now officially full and I can't put everything away. Most of it is rubbish that I keep because I'm sentimental. I'm going to blitz it. I don't really need every drawing she's ever done or every end of day report from nursery

Twin why are people so rude??! My 14yo is hoping to do an apprenticeship because he is bored by academia/essays/reading and wants to do something practical. When I discuss our kids with friends they say "but he's so clever, he should go to uni, not just be a builder" We'll be in a bit of a bind in the U.K. with no training in building and European builders no longer allowed to work here!!! I recommend you point this sort of thing out to your SIL

Twin There is a huge bid to increase degree level apprenticeships in professional qualifications, so perhaps she is envious! It does sound as though she was being scathing though. Grrrrr!

TheThird There was a really good clearing supplement in yesterday's Guardian. Have a think about whether the course or location is most important and be prepared to get on the phone (or do it online) as quickly as possible.

I know stickerrocks grrrr - it was said in a scathing way as all her DC have gone or are going to uni. Her DD just back from a gap year and we get that rammed down our throats every time we see SIL...

In other news DD back to her depressed state. I wondered if post-NCS this would happen. All the old problems that I haven’t heard about for months have come crashing back in. So hard for me to say the right thing. Any suggestion is futile and she just curls up and refuses to talk about it. Mostly friendship issues, which look to be going to get worse as some of her friends are moving to different sixth form.

We are on holiday next week, DD just told me she isn’t looking forward to it as she will have to spend week with me. Gee thanks then. She hasn’t started any packing, we need to load suitcases tomorrow. We talked about results day and what she wanted DH and I to do. She wants us to come into school with her. I was not expecting that, and frankly not sure i want it as long list of instructions of do’s and don’ts for results day.

DD has gone out to spend quality time with DH at the pictures this afternoon. She has also been like a bear with a sore head every weekend during NCS and is feeling lonely following friendship issues from months ago. I know exactly where you are coming from. It feels as though you can't do anything right and worry about what the next reaction will be, then they do something unpredictable (like voluntarily ask for your company).

It’s like you are here stickerrocks. DH reaction is “she needs to snap out it”.. if she says she doesn’t want to talk him, he just shrugs his shoulders and walks away. If she says same to me, I still try and chip away. Apparently her family are part of her problems.....

Welcome to elena7475

Good luck to your 2 DS for this week amd next!

Can you get the NUS card if staying at school in 6th form? Iknow the older DSs used to get TopMan discount!

DD misses her old group of friends, despite how vile some of them were to her, but is too wary of being hurt again to try too hard with newer friends in case they think she is a pain. I know she is beginning to worry about her results, even though she has no reason to (she can pick which college she goes to and has no issues having to get particular grades. In the few minutes a day when she emerges from her bedroom, I reel off a list of stuff at top speed and get snarled at, then at other times she is absolutely lovely. It's like dealing with the toddler years again. DH says she is just being a normal teenager, so leave her alone, then he explodes if she's managed to be particularly rude to me and tells her off. I tend to adopt your approach.

Elena What are their plans for their next steps? Are they under any pressure to get certain results?

All sounds very familiar stickerrocks perhaps it is the maternal instinct...

DH back to leaving me to deal with DD when the going gets tough...

She has emerged from her bedroom and marginally cheery..,

I'm feeling poorly today, so have been spending the last couple of hours curled up on the sofa reading Twitter/ Mumsnet etc.

I found the year 13 A levels thread, equivalent to these GCSE 2018 threads, and I recognised various posters from these GCSE threads (TheThird, Nettleskeins etc). It's hit me what you are going through. A levels really matter! Sincerest good luck wishes to all of your DC.

I also found last year's GCSE results thread. It starts on the Monday before the results and I've scrolled through to the Friday. It goes ....DMs are nervous... DC are nervous... predictable MN attack about super-selectives... HTs get the results on Wednesday... Wednesday Edexcel maths grade boundary leak on twitter ... mothers not sleeping on Wednesday night (posting in the wee, small hours instead).... typically DM drive DC to school for 10 and wait in car... DC gone into school... waiting, still waiting.... results!.... congratulations/ commiserations.... got what they deserve....raw scores / raw scores absent .... remarks, REMARKS, REMARKS, REMARKS, REMARKS!

I guess we'll be the same.

Oh and AQA English Lit seemed to cause a lot of consternation, which made me gulp a bit. As did the posters whose DC didn't do well enough for their first choice sixth form.

Yep, I'm on both threads...stress is starting to ramp up again here after a few more chilled weeks. DD gone to my dad for a few days, she will have a great time with extended family, and won't be here to irritate DS as his nerves ramp up this week.

Sorry to keep adding more in but I've remembered something else about last year's GCSE results thread.... the consensus is that it's wrong of people (friends / family / acquaintances) to ask how your DC got on. Wrong because if the DC do well they might try to boast about it (grandchild etc) and wrong because if the DC don't do well, then it's private info to be divulged on a need-to-know basis only.
I've asked numerous people over the years how their DC got on. It never once occurred to me that I was doing anything other than showing an interest. Our neighbours have asked if DS has his results yet, and again, I thought it was nice if them to take an interest. But apparently it's bad form???

Is this your first time through A levels, Panda?