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Original poster

Are your teenagers still meeting up with their friends?

161 replies

Rollergirl11 · 10/01/2021 16:10

I know that you can meet one person from another household for exercise but it is apparent that a lot of DD’s friends are just taking that as an opportunity to meet up with each other. Then meet up with someone else new the next day. I see that as completely bending the rules and is just unnecessary mixing of multiple households. Luckily DD doesn’t agree with it and hasn’t asked to do the same. Obviously lots of parents are allowing this (DD’s friends parents that I know included) so please can someone who thinks this is okay explain their reasoning?

OP posts:
tikha · 10/01/2021 18:33

At this rate we are going to be stuck in lockdown forever. Compared to March this is lockdown lite with lots of people justifying their reasons for being potential transmitters. The r rate is higher this time around.

SoupDragon · 10/01/2021 18:34

Knowing my teenager, there is no way there would be consistent social distancing.

yearinyearout · 10/01/2021 18:41

The case of the 2 women fined at the reservoir being a case in point. Yes, they might have been going for a walk, but their primary reason for meeting up was to socialise

So bloody what? They were out in the fresh air, walking, and chatting. Jeez. Why are people so keen to make life as miserable as possible for themselves? I go out walking every day, and about three days a week I walk with someone else, a couple of metres apart. Is it ok to go as long as I don't actually enjoy myself?

bigbird1969 · 10/01/2021 18:42

well I spotted a group of teenagers outside a shop greeting each other, no mask, no attempts at social distancing and they didnt appear to be related. They had all met at a certain place and were hugging etc. My DD is 17 and her friendship groups are shocking, virus isnt that bad to its fake and folks send fake positive results to force kids to stay in. They dont wear masks as there too cool. Anything to justify them meeting up...although this lot are also having illegal raves etc. ( we are in london and we wonder why the rate has gone through the roof)...i dont think we can always suggest parents are 'allowing' it. I can agree to my DD going for a walk, if she chooses not to return on time should I call the police? The police wont be interested unless i have evidence she is doing something untoward, Thankfully however she isnt an arse, her father is vulnerable and she hasnt gone out for weeks. However she has friends that didnt care when someone tested positive and were still willing to meet up....these little fuckers and the older adults who think its a hoax, or its not that serious will be the reason we will be in lockdown for months. My DH is vulnerable and hasnt seen his parents or brother or friends for many many months. He wont break the rules as he doesnt want COVID...but others selfish choices and arguments about the 'rules' will impact on us . Your daily exercise isnt getting in a car and driving 5 miles down the road, one of my DS friends decided they would ignore the rules at xmas and travelled from London to her parents and ended up giving them covid. She was asymptomatic . Time for folks to stop ignoring the rules and actually take this situation seriously.

rustyhinges · 10/01/2021 18:43

They meet one friend for exercise each day but it's always the same friend and they don't go indoors anywhere. Other than that they are only socialising online.

bigbird1969 · 10/01/2021 18:45

rustyhinges how do you know thats true unless your with them?

Teawaster · 10/01/2021 18:45

It's a daft rule...how can anyone judge whether someone is meeting up with someone outside for purely social or exercise reasons . I run daily ...on my own , but I could choose to run with someone for social reasons , ie to chat as I run. I meet my partner every few days for a walk. That's mainly social for me but could be seen as his daily exercise as he doesn't run. However as I choose not to run with anyone , what difference does it make overall ? I'm still only interacting with one other person outside .

Ihatemyseleffordoingthis · 10/01/2021 18:46

No they are not. Been trying to encourage them to go for a walk, a bike ride or a skate with a mate. DC1 might, DC2 I can hardly winkle out of their room.

crumpet · 10/01/2021 18:46

Dd will meet up with her friend across the road from time to time for a dog walk. Otherwise that’s it. Dc aren’t socialising with anyone except online.

Teawaster · 10/01/2021 18:48

Even if I was meeting with a different friend for a walk on another day , I still think that's within the rules . That case of the 2 women was ridiculous .how can anyone say that there were meeting for social reasons only . It was likely to be a mix of both

abersinas · 10/01/2021 18:48

Local levels are so high (670 per 100,000) in our village that we have explained to our teen that it's not safe at present. Screen time limits largely abandoned.

rustyhinges · 10/01/2021 18:54

@bigbird1969

rustyhinges how do you know thats true unless your with them?
Because he's not a dick. He's been nothing other than sensible about this lockdown and doesn't want to put himself at increased risk. HTH.
lockedownloretta · 10/01/2021 18:57

Prior to all this happening, if i posted on here that i made my teenager stay in the house ALL the time, didn't allow them to go to school, didn't allow them to go for a walk with one friend, said that social media was good enough, i would quite rightly have been ripped apart.

This has been going on now for 10 months and our teenage children have had every semblance of a normal life taken away from them. Their future is completely fucked too and we begrudge them a walk in the park with a friend?

I am completely aware of how awful the whole thing is for everyone, the situation is terrible but i feel like we're losing our humanity and empathy.

ssd · 10/01/2021 19:00

No absolutely not

19 and bored senseless

crumpet · 10/01/2021 19:02

I prefer to try and help my kids keep things in perspective. Hopefully this is about 12 months out of a 90year life, and a year out of their overall childhood. We are very lucky so far(touch wood) and so many people have it worse - not just in this pandemic but in day to day life. We have health, love, food, clothes, warmth and access to entertainment, friends and relatives at the touch of a button.

SirVixofVixHall · 10/01/2021 19:04

No. But dd says instagram tells a different story for some people she knows.

OxanaVorontsova · 10/01/2021 19:04

Only within the rules - DD (17) mets up with her bf once a week for a walk outside, they freeze but she prefers that to no seeing him

pinkyboots1 · 10/01/2021 19:05

Both kids (DS 21, DD 16) are sticking to our local rules.. both chat to friends online and only go for exercise together. The oldest is on the spectrum so is quite happy not having to socialise but the youngest is missing her friends terribly, thank goodness for WiFi and social media!

WithASpider · 10/01/2021 19:05

Dd1 is 17 and has spent a day at the park with her best friend. She didn't see anyone over Christmas as she wasn't well (not covid) and can't see her boyfriend as his dad is shielding. They both have struggles with MH so it's good for them. Dd2 is 15 and it's all online chatting. They're both being very careful.

EdersonsSmileyTattoo · 10/01/2021 19:07

DS(14) comes on a daily dog walk with DH & I, but apart from that isn’t leaving the house.

He plays Xbox with his mates after school and on the weekend so is in contact with them, just not in person.

MushMonster · 10/01/2021 19:11

Nope, she has met no-one bar us since she broke from school, so on the 18th December. If she goes out, it is food shopping or walking with me.
And no way I will allower to mingle with anyone till that curve goes down!
And this is for her own safety, because I do not want her to get ill, even if the possibility is low, neither do I want any of her friends being ill.
She is perfectly fine. She talks and plays with her friends from morning till late. She is lucky they all have unlimited internet. They can videocall. Many of the games they play allow them to speak to the group playing at the same time.

Freaksandgeeks · 10/01/2021 19:31

@SnoozyLou

Their parents must be really thick then.
Surprisingly, they aren’t - in any other aspect of their lives. I don’t understand them ignoring the rules - makes no sense.
BigSandyBalls2015 · 10/01/2021 19:43

Mine have mostly been sticking to the rules. A friend of DD2 did turn up last weekend and we let her come in, I wasn’t keen but she didn’t seem herself when we were chatting on the doorstep.

I’m so glad we did as she’s in a bad place, suicidal thoughts, depression. This is such a difficult time for a lot of teens.

tenlittlecygnets · 10/01/2021 19:44

Mine has met one friend for distanced walks, as per the rules. But some of her friends are still having house parties 🤷🏼‍♀️

Teandsympathy · 10/01/2021 19:55

Yes, mine is still skateboarding with her friend. It’s her only exercise and escape from our overcrowded home. They don’t hug or hold hands. He’s a boy and it’s very much all about the skate.

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