End of the first year.

End of the first year might seem a strange title, especially as we are in the middle of the year.

It is the end of he first year that my eldest son has been at Uni and the youngest son is almost at the end of his first year at sixth form college.

This time last year me and my wife, were in the middle of A levels and GCSE exams, wondering, and worrying, if they would go the way we wanted for our sons. A stressful time, making sure they were relaxed and calm before the exam and picking up the pieces when they came in feeling as though they hadn’t done the best they could.

Forms were completed and sent to the universities and colleges of their choice along with the courses they wanted to follow. Now it was the waiting, waiting and not being able to do anything, everything out of our control. Looking back, we were probably more worried and concerned than they were.

It all worked out in the end. Our eldest son got the UCAS points he needed, the exact amount! The youngest son passed all of his GCSE exams and so was able to go to the sixth form college of his choice, which is just round the corner, as well as the subjects of his choice. His first year is almost completed. From reports he has done well, but as you can expect with a 17year old who loves his sport more than anything else, he has got through but not fulfilling the massive potential he has, doing enough work to ensure he gets a decent grade rather than the best grade he is capable of getting.

But then next phase started.

The eldest was off to a Uni 50 miles away, So began the worry about whether he would be able to settle, would fit in, would he be safe, would he be homesick, would he make friends, would he find the course work too hard, would he be able to feed himself. Never mind about the washing, keeping clean and getting up in time to get to lectures.

The remainder of the summer was spent making sure he had all the things he needed to take with him: bedding, towels, clothes, plates, cutlery, pots and pans. Excitement for him, uncertainty for us. We tried to hide our fears and be as excited as he was. Difficult at times. Packing the car to take him down was hard, unpacking it at the other end and driving away even harder. Both of us holding our tears back. He’s not one to show or talk about his feelings, so it was hard to gauge what he was thinking or feeling.

And now he has completed his first year. and back home for the summer Due to the nature of the course, dates, work and holidays he has spent quite a lot of time back home. Even so he has surprised us. He has settled better than we expected. Made a whole load of friends. Been successful in all of first year tasks, activities and assignments. Appears to be well liked by other people on his course and by the lecturers. He has learnt a lot but more importantly , has grown into an amazing young man.

So, we will spend the summer with both of them together. Making more memories and hoping the second year will be as successful as this first one has been.