Thud! (From Bucks Free Press)

Thud!

5:04pm Monday 31st May 2010

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Every Monday through to Saturday, late morning, the quiet of the house is disturbed by a thud. There is nothing unusual about the noise - it occurs in most homes, most days, and simply announces the arrival of the post. However, just lately, this thud has been heavier – and not just heavier in physical weight, but also on my emotions.

So, just what is it that is arriving at our home and causing such turmoil within me? Is it communication from HM Revenue & Customs? (Actually, I did have one of those and apparently, I received £658 in ‘other earnings’ last year - must be from my stint as a lap dancer...I’m joking, I’m 48 and the mother of two for goodness sake!). Sorry I digress; in fact the answer is university prospectuses!

Their arrival stirs a cocktail of both excitement and sadness – excitement because these glossy brochures seem to offer my daughter such a wonderful future and sadness because that future will, most likely, take her away from me. Of course, it’s natural progression - she wants to further her education and it is probable that she will have to leave home to do so, I understand that.

If I’m honest, I’m a little (no, a lot) jealous - I wish I had moved out from the shadow of my parents as I know I would have benefitted from having some time between being someone’s daughter and someone’s wife - a time when decisions were made just by me and just for me. But hey ho, spilt milk and all that!

Anyway, maybe my anxiety is premature - Beckie still has another year at school and we haven’t yet attended our first open day at a university. Therefore, I will make the most of her presence – we will snuggle up and watch girlie films, share chocolate bars, go shopping, and drool over a certain Mr Depp together. It also means I have another eighteen months to put some money aside – I’ve heard that university is rather unkind to the pockets of parents!

Bye for now.

Tania Greenwood