This year has seen my eldest returning to uni but this time he will be house sharing with four other students, friends he has made while living in student halls last year. They have had a year of independence, almost sheltered in a way, by living in a corridor with 11 others and sharing a kitchen and a couple of bathrooms. They work out differences on their own and gravitate towards other students that they get on with or become friends with. As parents, although it breaks our hearts to see them go, it feels like they are still being supported if they are living on campus with all the facilities around them. My eldest goes to Sussex university and it was well equipped with a large Co op, a large cafe, launderette, bar, pharmacy and a GP surgery! I know not all uni’s are the same and some are spread around towns on different areas instead. Read more
son
Lost in London…….aged 11 yrs!!!!
No not a story about me as the 11 yr old but my own son.
Monday saw us heading back up town for another audition (remember my youngest is a ‘luvvy’ at heart and wants to be an actor). Anyway this really is nothing out of the ordinary for us. A short notice call a few days before with address details (normally quite obscure tiny offices in London’s backstreets) so we headed off as normal.
Audition done and return journey in process until…………….
Yes we went to get on a tube when my son walked on and the doors closed!!!! Leaving me on the platform…………OK PANIC NOW.
So told screamed at the guard that my son was on his own only to realise the tube he got on was going in the wrong direction that we were going! CAN THIS GET ANY WORSE??
Again the guard seemed a bit too chilled for my liking when he said I should go to the operations room WTF????? No you take me there and bloody tell someone my 11yr old son is on the tube going in the wrong direction…….EXCUSE ME IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME ( i’m the mad shouting, hysterical lady crying down the phone to her husband telling him she has lost her son!!!- I know not a pretty sight)
However, by the time we got to the operations room they then had to calm me down to tell me they had my son at the next station with the guard!!!! OMG OMG OMG
So went back down to platform and got on next tube, still bawling my eyes out ( what a bloody picture) with people looking at me as though I was a complete loon (understandable I think).
Turned up at the next station and burst into tears again as my son came up and gave me a huge hug!!!
He was calm, and I asked him what he did.
‘Well I thought I would get off at the next station and wait for you to come along. But a nice young man offered to get off at the station with me and tell the guard what had happened’ ( there are some nice people out there! but we still warned him afterwards of the dangers).
So 11 yr old is calm, and 41 yr old mum is a complete wreck?????
He told me that he wasn’t panicked but he was worried about me because he knew I would be having a meltdown- talk about role reversal!
Anyway, all’s well that ends well and all that. For me I don’t think I have ever been so stressed in all my life. My M.E is affected considerably with stress and for the last few days I have been unable to do anything or eat properly so I know that is definitely the fallout from Monday!
However, everything happens for a reason and now we have at least got a contingency plan- if separated go to the next station and the other will follow!!
The truth hurts!
Yes it does, really it does.
Yesterday the truth hurt me…………..
I became a mother of a 14yr old!! ( can you feel the pain?)
That means I have to accept I am now OLD enough to have a 14yr old- not quite sure how that happened to be honest. One minute he was a bundle of gurgles and poo, I have watched him learn to walk and talk, ride a bike, go to school, learn to read and write. I remember his little words when he couldn’t say things properly:
‘Daddy where’s my scoobydriver?’ meaning screwdriver!!
Yesterday I was hit with the hammer of truth and it nearly knocked me out. I HAVE A 14YR OLD!!
So what have I got left to look forward to?
Strops- yes he does that already
Independence- Oh god help me
Drinking- not going there
Girls- The stress is too much
LIKE I SAY- THE TRUTH HURTS (LOL)