My youngest son has flown the nest and landed on his feet in Glasgow – Steve Cardownie

As summer was drawing to a close, the youngest of my three sons, Calum, was preparing to begin a new chapter of his life by moving through to student accommodation in Glasgow.

Life in Glasgow has a number of attractions (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Enrolled in Strathclyde University to study for a degree in computer science, he was all set to “fly the nest” and set up home along the M8.

Never having been away from home on his own for more than a fortnight, his learning curve was likely to be far more acute than he anticipated.

His student accommodation is more than adequate and comprises of a small bedroom with a large computer desk, with what seemed an inordinate amount of power points, an en-suite shower/bathroom and a large, fully fitted, shared kitchen.

After driving him through with all his paraphernalia, I dropped him off at his new abode and prepared myself for what I thought might be daily phone-calls bemoaning the lack of cooked meals, clean washing and boyhood friends.

But not so. He has taken to his new life like the proverbial duck to water. Making new friends with students from all over the country, staying up late in communal areas discussing new topics and going “out on the town” have all been enthusiastically embraced.

Meeting up in the shared kitchen where cooking duties are undertaken by whoever is there at the time and the on-site laundrette have taken care of some of my concerns regarding his living conditions and he appears to be as happy as a pig in, eh, clover.

With several lectures a day, his education is being well taken care of and his part-time work as a lifeguard at a leisure centre in Glasgow is going some way to augment his student loan.

So, my parental concerns have thankfully proven to be unfounded and any misgivings I may have had have been well and truly dispelled.

I, like many parents in a similar position I suppose, was a tad anxious about my son’s capability to successfully move out but given his current circumstances I should not have been, rather I should celebrate the fact that he has been afforded this great opportunity – which unfortunately is denied to all too many.