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Beware the Crepes of March!

999 replies

QueenQueenie · 16/02/2015 12:36

Well someone had to do it as my last post was number 999...

OP posts:
Stropperella · 16/02/2015 20:45

Thanks, Rudy. I need to see all 8 of dd's subject teachers and they simply won't currently countenance doing appointments at some other time. As it is such as large year group (I think 400+), they divide it in two and the other year half (who probably don't necessarily have the same teachers) have their parents' evening on Thurs. They really ought to be able to phone me or email me, though.

Stropperella · 16/02/2015 20:51

Oh and I've just downloaded her report (fairly dire) and a bunch of letters about other things on Tuesdays. Hmm I think she was expecting me to make a fuss, but I just gave her the report, saying, "Well, this is for your info, but I'm sure you know what's in it already." No point in saying much else, really. Big shame if she bombs, but I don't know what else I can do if she won't properly focus on the things she finds difficult and take positive steps to sort things out/move forward.

Stropperella · 16/02/2015 21:01

Thanks, BD. I'm hoping having a moan here (sorry) will enable me to keep my temper and maybe she is just mouthing off and will actually do something useful (this has sometimes been the case). Me losing my temper is probably counter-productive, whether she ends of being sensible or not.

lalsy · 16/02/2015 22:38

Stropps, that does sound gruelling and frustrating for you. Is she scared, deep down, scared of engaging, rejection, failure, decision-making? I think university entrance can be a bit of a perfect storm for those things. Although knowing why doesn't help with how, necessarily.

Could you write to her head of year or whoever and explain and ask for a list of the teachers that overlap - and say you will come on Thursday (so they'd actually have to say no). I completely agree they should be able to make other arrangements though.

I never found restricting internet access or phones did anything except make us all furious and irrational, but maybe we did it wrong.

NU, glad dh is not too bad

cremolafoam · 16/02/2015 22:55

Blimmin heck Stropps. It's just my experience but I did attend one of those ucas filling in parents meetings, but honestly if you look at the website( if you have a spare minute around 4am !) it is self explanatory really( also plenty of ucas staff standing by, FAQs and websites like The student room that will act as a guide.
It's the alternatives to applying to uni I suppose you might miss at the meeting. Could dd , even in her current state of woe, ask to get the paper handouts for said meeting? Gosh it would save so much time and you missing out on your Very Important Course which is for YOU and therefore ought to come first( Crepey fist bump )

I have a sick cat with mystery rear pain and puking bile. I fear a trip to the vet yet again.Confused

Auriga · 16/02/2015 23:08

Stropps, Plan A must be not to get depressed. Whatever you need to do to keep well & not depressed must be a higher priority than anything else. Everything else will be in jeopardy if you get depressed anyway.

Re: DD, again I agree with you. I think drip-drip reasonable sounds good. She's old enough to get it, she won't get it faster for being told by you or DH. Failing the exams is an option. Up to her, you're already doing what you can to help. Giving her a roof over her head, making food available etc.

She doesn't need you to be at parents' evenings, fgs, DH can go or nobody. She must already know what they're going to say, surely? Who ever got a surprise at parents' evening at this stage?

The horribleness is probably anxiety & I'm sure you're right to give way on the broadband - why fight? She may even use it to reviseGrin

Keep yer chins up, dearest Stropps

MollyAir · 16/02/2015 23:12

I'm posting in haste here, so forgive the brevity. Stropps, I agree with Lalsy about not restricting wifi - I would let that one go.

I agree too about the Head of Year - they can just have you in on Thursday and talk you through the whole thing, covering everything and giving you all the hand-outs. I am, as you may discover over time, a huge fan of Laying It On Thick, so I would write an email to the school saying the whole family is in danger of imminent collapse if you are forced to miss your Tuesday sessions which will ineluctably lead you to Fail The Course. Thus to save the family they must make a special arrangement to talk you through the stuff. They can do it if they understand the importance of it.

On anger management, I too would appreciate any tips any Crepeys can muster. Smile

MollyAir · 16/02/2015 23:14

X-post with Auriga, but we're all agreeing that you're right to give in on the wifi...

CointreauVersial · 16/02/2015 23:47

Helloooo new thread. I just caught up with the old one, and now have a slightly disturbing mental picture of Rose in a swimsuit prowling around with a big Child Catcher net and an evil glint in her eye. Grin

Strops, I really feel for you. Unfortunately, when it comes down to it, it really is up to DD. Regarding Parents' Evening, why is DH not stepping into the Tuesday breach? If he has so many opinions about how you should be parenting DD, then there's the perfect opportunity for him to get involved....surely?

Meanwhile, DH and I both went off to work today, leaving the house to the sound of snores from all three offspring. They did very little today. I'm off tomorrow (birthday!) and we have a packed schedule of dentist appointments, haircuts and shopping, with perhaps a little pancake-tossing thrown in. I was supposed be off on Friday as well, but two things have kicked that into touch: a shitstorm at work, and an unscheduled visit by MIL/SIL. Sad

DS is just back from a party and confessed to three beers Hmm and an experimental puff of a cigarette Shock. We are actually quite pleased that he wanted to be honest with us, less happy about the cigarette, although he was adamant it was nothing to do with peer pressure, he just wanted to see what it was like. "Pretty rubbish", apparently. Let's hope it stays that way.

bigTillyMint · 17/02/2015 06:54

Stropps, sending you big hugs and Wine
Agree about not restricting the wifi - she is (chronologically!) old enough to sort herself out on that front. It is an argument not worth having now she is nearly an adult!
I agree, it is anxiety and emotional immaturity (don't I know it) which is causing the inertia wrt knuckling down. Plus it's boring having to study hard. At the end of the day, it is ultimately up to her - you can lead a horse to water and all that malarkey.
But in reality, I know that it is incredibly hard to keep calm and watch it and not react. Well done so farFlowers
As for the school/ parents eves, etc, try all the suggestions above - they should surely be a bit more accommodatingAngry

RudyMentary · 17/02/2015 06:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bigTillyMint · 17/02/2015 06:59

CV good on your DS for telling you. My DS has a party coming up and I think it will be a "proper " one. He isn't 14 yet....

Oh to have those perfect teens that all the perfect MNers are so smug about!

cremolafoam · 17/02/2015 07:48

Snort @ perfect teens. I wish.

ThanksCV have a lovely birthday. ThanksThanksWineWine
(there seems to be a large number of Aquarians birthdays in The Crepey Massif. )

Blackduck · 17/02/2015 08:15

CV Happy Birthday.....

I am back at work for two days (really wish I hadn't agreed to come in...) and feeling like death - awake at five coughing, now could just put my head on the desk....

MontserratCaballe · 17/02/2015 08:34

Happy birthday, CV. Hope you have a good day.

Stropps, massive sympathy on difficult teens. I hope you can get something sorted re parents' evening.

Found a job to apply for - hurray. Things in my line don't come up often.

herbaceous · 17/02/2015 08:46

Ooh stropps, I am fuming on your behalf. Maybe it's time to say 'right..we've done what we can, you've rejected it, it's now all up to you. I refuse to take the blame any more,'

Another thought, she may be, like me, not so much afraid of failure, but afraid of uncertainty. If you ensure you fail, that's something you can be certain of, whereas trying to succeed introduces an element of risk and uncertainty. When she does fail, she will either blame herself for being shit, or others for not supporting her.

lalsy · 17/02/2015 08:53

Happy Birthday CV!

motherinferior · 17/02/2015 09:38

Happy birthday CV Cake WineCake Wine (Is it pancake day? If so how did I avoid Unwarranted Innuendo from Mr Inferior about tossing, snigger, arf, nudge, sigh?)

Stropps, yes, agree with everyone else. Your priority 1 has to be not getting depressed.

Off to ring Norfolk social services again...

CointreauVersial · 17/02/2015 09:50

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I had a quick birthday kiss and a cup of tea from DH as he headed off to work, and a call from DM, but haven't set eyes on my children yet. Remember those days when they all jumped on your bed at silly o'clock, desperate to see you open their gifts.....? Never mind, I'm enjoying a peaceful bowl of porridge and Radio 2 in the sunshine by the kitchen window.

BTM - yes, I was pleased he told us, although I told him that shouldn't be treated as a get-out clause for any behaviour ("mum, I mugged a little old lady this evening; thought I'd be honest with you"). Interestingly, he didn't want his friends to find out, and swore the cigarette owner to secrecy; gone are the days when it was a badge of cool to smoke.

motherinferior · 17/02/2015 10:00

I just interviewed a delightful geneticist, who let slip she has 21 month old twins. Suddenly my snoring offspring look shiny and new.

I am trying very hard not to lose the plot with my mum. I do not want to be bloody guilt-tripped into spending the whole sodding weekend with her. I have sorted out more social care visits for her when her chemo starts. I will zip down AGAIN to see her on Saturday. I am going to the consultant meeting with her. I am sick of them both being so damn passive about the whole damn thing and expecting other people to sort it out for them. And yes I do also realise IABU, which doesn't help.

Stropperella · 17/02/2015 10:10

Happy birthday, CV! And many happy returns.

MI, hope the phone call to Norfolk social services is fruitful. And sorry to hear that dp was less than supportive at the weekend. What is he expecting you to do, exactly? Magically add another 12 hours into the day so you can zoom up and down to Norfolk at the drop of a hat and get everything else done and still get enough sleep? Hmmm.

Thank you, one and all, for your sympathy and wise words. I think that restricting wifi access for a week or so did make some kind of useful impression, as dd's room is tidy and there is NOTHING on the floor!! And her schoolwork has been filed and the desk is actually looking as though she can work on it. Her wifi access is now only restricted between midnight and 7am, which she agrees is reasonable. All the rest of the time, it will be up to her whether to fritter away her time on Snapchat or Whatsapp or whatever it is that she is doing. Being ultra-calm about her report did seem to pay dividends last night, as she was also calm about it and got on with some revision yesterday evening. Result! However, dh was being an utter bad-tempered pain, and huffed and puffed about her still having the wifi on after 11pm because he was adamant that it was unnecessary. He is mainly vv cross because when she got really furious the other day, she said we couldn't complain about her doing things that he does e.g. not getting dressed until 3pm, spending hours faffing on the computer, leaving dirty plates and cups all over the kitchen and not helping around the house. I said it was a fair point. He has also now taken up moaning at me for staring at my phone all the time. Hmm

Dh doesn't have PR for dd, so doesn't exist as far as the school is concerned, i.e. he can't give consent for any trips or medical stuff and all stuff from the school is only addressed to me. He has never been to any of her parents' evenings and I'm not sure the school would talk to him if he turned up anyway. More importantly, perhaps, he wouldn't have a clue about anything they said and would inevitably get the wrong end of the stick and she would be completely enraged if he went anywhere near her school in the capacity of a parent. (There is also the small matter that now that ds is at middle school, dh has decided that he is coming with me to parents' evenings, thus highlighting the great divide between his attitude to dd and his attitude to ds. And yes, I have spent a decade pointing stuff like this out.)

Anyway, I have decided that I must try to model grace under pressure (arf) as the shouting strategy no longer works and yesterday's calm persistence (whilst frothing and seething under the surface) paid off, after a fashion. Must remember not to lose temper at dh instead of at dd. That won't end well either.

Stropperella · 17/02/2015 10:13

x-posts, CV and MI.
Enjoy your peaceful and sunny breakfast, CV :)

MI, I don't think YABU. At all. Your parents seem to have a lot of support in place. You shouldn't need to be there babying them every step of the way.

motherinferior · 17/02/2015 10:22

Stropps, he is being an arse Angry

To be fair, DP cooked a v nice Bolognese sauce for my mum (we froze some when we got there, with pasta in it so my dad doesn't have to tangle with cooking dried pasta which would be beyond him Angry)and took it up and drove us all there. He does feel I should be more supportive especially to my sister, and it was he who prodded me into going on Sat because my mum's chemo starts again on Friday and it does knock her out and more to the point DSis was worried. The thing is, I have sorted out an extra social services visit for them, to the maximum of four a day, and got another agency to visit them to assess to see if they want to pay for any extra help, and in fact they are managing better than they might do.

Anyway I now have to take DD2 to the GP because she is worried about her Sticky Out Rib. How much does anyone want to bet me that the v nice GP (a friend) says ooh DD2 you have a Sticky Out Rib? All part of my aim to show DD2 life does not have to be a matter of tears and panic Grin.

NUFC69 · 17/02/2015 10:23

Many happy returns, CV. Thanks Wine At this time of year I buy cards in industrial quantities - DGS 1's birthday was on Sunday, DH's is tomorrow, DD at the beginning of March and countless friends from now until April.

Stropps, I can only reiterate what other Crepeys have said - the most important thing is your health. Softly, softly catchee monkey with DD. The school must be more cooperative about parents' evenings, etc. By restricting everything to just one night of the week they are not serving everybody properly even if it suits them.

We're off out to our favourite Italian for lunch as I haven't time tomorrow when it is DH's birthday.

Rosebag · 17/02/2015 10:52

Bless you stropps I think you are doing so well to remain calm with DD and manage things as you are. I agree with all that has been said by the wise Crepeys above. I have asked DS1 who is more ways than one was in such a similar position to your DD what he thought we did and didn't do that helped nine through that difficult period. I'll let you know what he replies. The school are being unreasonable and should sent you hand outs for everything and options to make a different appointment. Flowers I'm useless to advied on anger management being an abject failure in that dept.

CV Happy Birthday to you !!! Cake Wine I hope you have a lovely day and your DC step up present and casd-wise. Grin re child catcher???I just can't bear kids around when I am having Time Away From Them!! In face it one of the nicest spa days I've ever had... Smile
Blimey...don't kids have any secrets from their parents these days? Not that I condone smoking...although certainly used to.....and it was soooo cool in those days.

MI your instinct to help DParents stand on their own two feet is right. You are doing whatever you can. Remember that. I don't know how one deals with the guilt. Wine I guess.

*BD i do wish you better. Perhaps you need a day off Flowers
Yay monty'go for it !!

We are clearing breakfast and there s bit of bloody home work going on but soon heading for a long walk in the sun. Pancakes SW recipe tonight.

How the knees holding up tilly