Anxious parents

[CHDad]

First tearful phone call tonight - and I thought it was going so well! I think it was easier when they did not have their phones. A good nights sleep needed for both of us me thinks. Hopefully all will be back to normal tomorrow.

[SAS]

Being Victorian parents, we did not allow our DD a phone till we caved in last leave w/e. She is in 3rd form now and we only gave in so that she can text us.....or rather, I can text her when I need to know something. I got fed up waiting for email replies. And she has forgotten how to write a letter! I think I have had 3 in a year and a bit. Hey ho.

[CHDad]

It's back to normal tonight, I phoned my son at 20.30 because I had not heard from him and he said " sorry we were just practicising rugby lineouts in the dorm" !!!

[MrsAverage]

To CHdad and all the other new parents
the above 3 posts really sum up how it is to be a CH parent - 3 weeks missing them, recieving minimal contact from them, a leave that goes in flash, a day or 2 of settling back (more difficult for the parents than the pupil) then the cycle starts again...
Trust me - the fewer contacts home they make, the busier and happier they are. I wait all week for my one rationed Sunday evening telephone conversation.

[YadaYada]

My son texts me in the morning to say good morning and at night to say goodnight. Mostly he also texts, "Have had a fab day". I also speak to him every day on the house phone......all the news of the day from here and there. We have done this since the first 3 week ban. It is driven by him rather than me and I did worry about it during the Second Form as I thought perhaps he should just be getting on with it. But it's just a lovely routine for him and me.

I think this is perhaps unusual......but then I think we are perhaps an unusual family!

[dinahcat]

Not so unusual. My eldest rings every day because she needs to and we enjoy it.

[YadaYada]

Hooray! Thanks for that. I thought I was going to get pilloried for it.
x

[J.R.]

Hooray! Thanks for that. I thought I was going to get pilloried for it.

That's a bit medieval !

We didn't even have to suffer that form of punishment at CH back in the 50's !!

[YadaYada]

Yes, well, the way some of the 'older' old Blues go on, with 'in my day, we didn't get a word from Mother for a month and are better for it' pilloried is exactly how I felt I might be.....albeit in a metaphorical way!

[CHDad]

Yada Yada

We seem to be heading to a similar pattern as you. For the first few days I was tempted to call / text my son. However I am now leaving it up to him, mostly he texts and just like you I get a "good morning" text and also a "nighty night" one from him, I always send a brief txt reply. I normally get a phone call once a day as well, usually brief. I am happy now as I know he can call if he wants/needs to and he seems to be happy for the same reasons.

It seems to be working for us at the moment!

[anniexf]

Yes, well, the way some of the 'older' old Blues go on, with 'in my day, we didn't get a word from Mother for a month and are better for it ' pilloried is exactly how I felt I might be.....albeit in a metaphorical way!

YadaYada, I can't imagine any of us oldies - certainly not the Hertford brigade - wanting to "pillory" you for keeping in frequent contact with your son - quite the reverse! I thought we'd made it quite clear how awful it was to be kept incommunicado, both for us and for our parents. And a few of us were damaged by it, as we've tried to explain, despite being criticised for this in some quarters. Thankfully the great enlightenment happened and I for one am delighted by that.

[wickedwitch]

now if only DD could find her mobile phone... and her watch...

[Pixie]

Yes, well, the way some of the 'older' old Blues go on, with 'in my day, we didn't get a word from Mother for a month and are better for it ' pilloried is exactly how I felt I might be.....albeit in a metaphorical way!

YadaYada, I can't imagine any of us oldies - certainly not the Hertford brigade - wanting to "pillory" you for keeping in frequent contact with your son - quite the reverse! I thought we'd made it quite clear how awful it was to be kept incommunicado, both for us and for our parents. And a few of us were damaged by it, as we've tried to explain, despite being criticised for this in some quarters. Thankfully the great enlightenment happened and I for one am delighted by that.

Well said anniexf. I don't think any of us 'Hertford oldies' would say that we were better for being unable to contact our parents. It seems only we can truly understand how damaging that was.

[Fjgrogan]

How strange - I have been reading this topic for a couple of months now, and it has only just occurred to me that even if we had been allowed to phone home many of us could not have done so; my family certainly did not have a telephone and no doubt there would have been many others in the same position. I wonder how the school would have contacted our parents in an emergency?

[Great Plum]

It's weird really... my parents lived on site and on my Grecians, when I lived in Maine A, I could go for 2 weeks without seeing or hearing from them at all!