Kids returning to childcare

[Neverknown]

Hi,

I think I'm going to have to send my kids back to their childcare and school, and I feel awful about it. Looking for some reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.

DH and I are both classed as keyworkers. I'm able to do my part-time hours at home, he can do most of his work at home, but has to go in once a week, which he does on my day off. For the last six weeks, we've been juggling things at home. I've been doing the absolute bare minimum for my job (has to be done during 9-5) and he's been doing bits and pieces during the day and catching up at evenings and weekends.

Both our jobs are now beginning to increase in terms of workload. It's becoming unsustainable. Mine is an admin job vaguely related to coronavirus, his isn't, although the situation makes his job more stressful. We think we'll have to send the kids to the childminder and school, maybe one day a week, just to help us keep up. The house is now a stressful place, and I think the kids are picking up on it.

I feel really guilty. My mental health is generally taking a battering at the moment and I'm anxious about everything. Maybe it would be better for them to have a day somewhere else. We have one primary child and two preschoolers, who normally go to a childminder who is willing and able to take them. None of us is vulnerable, we may have already had the virus, three of us were unwell towards the start of lockdown.

Why do I feel guilty? I know plenty of other families sending their kids, and I don't think badly of them. Why do I think badly of myself? I just have this constant knot of worry in my chest. If it's not one thing, it's another, and this is today's thing.

[pocketem]

I'm sending my kid to nursery. The risk is incredibly low, and if you are a keyworker your job has been deemed to be important to the whole country - if you've just been doing "the bare minimum" for the past six weeks because you've been trying to juggle childcare and work then I'd feel more guilty about that than about sending kids to childcare.

[pocketem]

Schools and nurseries in Denmark and Norway have already reopened. In France, Macron has announced the gradual reopening of nurseries and primary schools from 11 May.

In Germany pupils aged 11 and 12 are due to return to school in a staggered system starting next week. Classes will be split in two and the groups will alternate between lessons at school and at home. Germany has temporarily removed sport and music lessons from the curriculum because they are considered too great a risk, but older pupils already returned to sit exams last month.

Belgium is reopening schools from 11 May, with caps on class sizes.

In the Netherlands, nurseries and primary schools will reopen on 11 May, and secondary schools on 2 June.

[WhyNotMe40]

You could check how many infectious there are in your area if that would help?
covid.joinzoe.com/data

[WhyNotMe40]

Infections

[banjaxxed]

In my DC's school there have been less than 10 kids in at any one time for key workers
Pretty safe if you ask me

Also, they will start going back soon anyway I think (in some way) just like they are in other countries

[cheninblanc]

My daughter is going in two days a week. We're all better for it and her school work has improved again. I'm working full time and I just couldn't keep doing it all. I'd send them in

[Neverknown]

I don't live in a hotspot for the virus as far as I'm aware. DH is obsessed with the figures, and is a complete hypochondriac, so I think I'd be aware if we did live in an area of many infections.

If the schools reopened soon, I'd be fine with sending them. I suppose because it's a choice, it's difficult. But it would make life easier work-wise - DH in particular would be less stressed, we'd have more time to do things like buy food and do the necessary around the house. And I might be able to take some of the burden back from my child-free colleagues, who have taken on all of the tasks where you need to be not interrupted.