I upset my mum on Saturday

[Nonestopcaberet]

By telling her I wasn’t going to break ‘the rules’ and drive 45 minutes each way to sit in the garden with her and my dad.

Today, I’ve been reading on here that people are now driving two hours each way to visit parents.

My next door neighbour has her dad, daughter and grandson in her garden, not socially distancing.

I now feel very guilty about upsetting my mum as it seems like everyone else around has decided that the rules don’t apply anymore.

So, if the rules don’t apply to anyone else, then they obviously don’t apply to me either, so I will ring her later and arrange a day when I can go round.

I'd go, what's the difference between sitting in garden 2m apart, then in a park with strangers.

I'd take your own food or drinks so your not sharing stuff and wipe down where you sit.

Most people have been doing this since lockdown began, certainly my street has and worse.

Sorry you feel guilty OP but there is no need? You are entitled to do what you like ans follow guidelines if you wish to. Your mum is being unreasonable to make you feel bad. As someone with a mum I no longer see who guilt trips to get her own way- I wouldn't give in. Is she at home feeling distraught at how much she has upset you? She isn't more important than you and you do not exist to please her and arent her property to command.

Cummings is bad enough but the people barking that he did it so I am is pitiful. I wouldn't use the morally poor or reckless actions of someone else as a reference point for how to decide my own behaviour or as justification for doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing at the best of times, not sure why everyone has decided that now is the time to defer to that logic.

Our social responsibilites are our own regardless of what others are doing. I didn't see my neighbours break social distancing months ago and go FINE then if they are doing it then so am I. This is no different in that respect, even if it is more annoying politically.

My parents upset me by refusing to meet me for a socially distant walk in a park. I live on my own and it's been hard going, so I thought they'd want to meet up as soon as it was allowed. Apparently not.

I do think it's got to the point where you need to use a bit of common sense. We've not seen anyone for 10 weeks because of isolating before lockdown with symptoms but today we're going to drive and see a relative in their garden. We could meet 1 on 1 in a park for a walk but there will be more people there so the garden is by far the safer option. I wasn't comfortable doing this previously but I am now.

I would do it if I were you - just use your common sense and keep your distance. No different from sitting in the park or going to the shops, we all have to manage our own risk at this point.

My mum and dad are both in their eighties, both have had cancer. Neither is worried about catching the virus. My dad is out shopping everyday because that is what he has always done.
TBH I would be more worried about catching something from them than passing it on.
I go to work in my own office three days a week, go shopping once a week. I’m not paranoid about washing shopping or not opening post for three days, as I think that risk is minimal.
However, I think the rules are there to protect other people. People like my dad who always has a bad chesty cough anyway so I do follow the rules as much as possible.
When I said I wouldn’t be going, my dad was fine and understood why I didn’t want to break the rules, my mums comment was ‘are you never going to come here again?’
Think I’ll go on Saturday if the weather is still good.

Just go. Assess the risk for yourself and do what you need to do.

In Scotland we are being allowed to go to other people’s gardens by the end of this week. Proving we adhere to social distancing and don’t go in the house to use the toilet etc.

England must surely be doing the same thing soon, especially after recent events with cummings.

I’d go. Will you need to go into their house to use the loo though? That would put me off.