One week to determine their futures

It's a tense week in the Buchanan-Widmann household...

By April 30th, both the smallest and the biggest will know where they are spending the next seven/four years...

When I left my first husband nearly ten years ago the last thing I wanted was any more disruption than necessary in the kids' lives. I chose, therefore, to keep them in their schools despite moving just under three miles to the next catchment along. The alternative would have been to move them away from all their friends at a time when they had already lost their home and having their parents together. For three miles, that would have been unnecessarily stressful to them. Of course, that then meant that when Léon came to go to school I couldn't be in two places at once so I sent the council a placing request to keep him with his siblings in the old school. That went fine. The pattern recurred when Anna started and now Amaia is also due to go to school. I currently have four kids in that catchment, so if Amaia's request is turned down all hell will break loose. The two schools are six minutes apart (by car) and there is no way I can be at both simultaneously. I had intended to move back into the original catchment several years ago, but this financial downturn and the varying hours of work we both get in a month has so far made that impossible. I do still hope that can one be ironed out but in the meantime I have just spent five whole months waiting for a reply from the council as to whether my already complicated life is about to become easier or hellish. It's not doing wonders for my sleep, but they have guaranteed to let me know their decision by next Thursday so the end (or the beginning) of my stress is approaching.

Marcel's issue is slightly different. At least he is the master of his own destiny. He sent in several university applications last December and he was duly offered several places unconditionally. He has narrowed his choice down to two and he too has to give them his final decision by Thursday of next week. Initially he had assumed he'd go to Glasgow as that was financially less daunting, though he didn't particularly want to stay at home. Much as he loves us, he has enough life experience and maturity that he'd like to move out and become self-sufficient. I've tried living at home and in student accommodation in my day, so I know he'd have much more fun if he did move out and it would be better for his personal development (though possibly not great for my sleep patterns!) Then a couple of weeks ago Thomas and Marcel decided to spend a day in Edinburgh together, just the two of them, investigating whether that might be an option. Thomas had studied at Edinburgh more than a decade ago so was in a better position to show him round than me (my degree is from Glasgow). Marcel was very impressed with the town and the campus and has spent the last fortnight trying to work out if he could afford to fund that option instead. 

So I am currently awaiting both decisions, both out of my hands, wondering where the next few years will see both my kids studying.