Children thinking lockdown lasted years 😢

[Mayflower282]

Was talking with my kids about Covid (they were in primary school when it started, now in high school), they asked how long lockdown lasted and I couldn’t actually remember, but I said around 6 months…they were shocked and said they thought it was 2-3 years. I guess their perception of time at that age it felt longer. Felt so sad hearing this 😢

Anyone else had similar from their kids?

Thats so heartbreaking poor children.
Kids in care definitely fell off the radar.

Even after kids went school, they went back to restrictions like bubbles, one way systems and controlled mixing in the playground. My kids were secondary but I’m willing to bet that games involving physical contact like Tag weren’t allowed. I totally understand that this would contribute to feeling like lockdown lasted years.

Those where the lockdowns.
Your forgetting the huge chunks of time you couldn't visit people, it was safe to eat in a restaurant with 40 other people but not your Grannies.

It was safe to play sports but not go to Cubs.

Depends what there hobbies were too

Did your kids have cancelled events like parties and out of school clubs? Those are often the things that bring joy and it took a long time for some things like that to return. Even if you did go out, were you having to tell your kids not to approach other kids and were you conscious of not doing stuff like chilling out on a bench? That would extend the feeling of being confined.

Yes, and I'm sure that she is not alone. In normal times children like her are legally adopted quite quickly.
Fortunately my DD eventually found the right school for her and her reading is now excellent though her arithmetic isn't there yet. She was definitely more traumatised than was necessary.
Sadly there may be children who were harder to place in new homes and are still in care, with nobody fighting to bring their education up to scratch.

I'm a teacher and it definitely didn't in my school.

There wont be another lockdown I don't think. Although people followed it for Covid, most people I know said they wouldn't do it again. I certain wouldn't.

That list doesn't include a lot of the restrictions in place in certain setting through. e.g. I had to pick me DS up from outside nursery still in Jan 2022. We were not allowed inside. Also doctors and hospital appointment up until Jan 2022 we still very restrictive (where I live anyway). DH was not allowed more than an hour visit time when I had DD in 2022, and wasn't allowed to wait in the hospital for maternity appointments at all in 2021. He had to have a neg covid test each time too. A nurse always had to get him from outside.
Sept 2020 you couldn't mix with more than 6 people

So although the actual lockdowns didn't last too long, with all the restrictions my DS would also say we couldn't do anything for years!

My kids were 10, 8 and 5 at the time. We had moved into our new property in Jan 2020 after being cooped up in a flat for years. So for us it felt like a holiday. The house didn’t feel like home, the sun shone every single day and we had a lovely new garden which was a huge novelty for the kids (paddling pool, trampoline for the first time etc). For my kids it’s nothing but happy memories but they were at the age where they could enjoy the simple things in life. At 16, 13 and 11 (current ages) it may well have been a very different experiment for us, aka - a lot worse!!

It was nearly 2 years before things were remotely back to normal. That is a looooong time in the life of a child!

Not sure where you are but it did in the UK
19/20 - Schools closed March
20/21 - Schools closed Dec-Mar
21/22 - Still had bubbles, masks and no community singing.(Scotland at least)

Thats 3 school years
Kids were also being sent home to isolate.

You’d think 😂

It lasted two years. We had a series of lockdowns with breaks. So it’s not perception of time, but the fact it we were constantly in and out of lockdowns.

DS missed a bit of yr 3 and a bit of yr 4. Memories are breaking the law by having a picnic beside the river on a picnic table at Looe. Going to Padstow with only 5 other people visible on the quay side, and signing in to the class Zoom call from inside our Dub in the carpark at Aldi. The teacher was quite excited that we were somewhere other than home. That must have been the second lockdown.

I agree the whole thing is sad.. just not that children perceive it as a long time is particularly sad.

I had a child go through the transition to secondary school at the time. That was pretty awful for her and lots of her peers. The school was inundated with emotional support requests.

National exams across all regions didn't happen in summer of 2020 or summer 2021.

Nat 5, Highers A-levels GCSE all didn't happen for two years - comes up now with DD1 looking at past papers those two years papers don't exist.

Two exam periods DD1 year 10 where GCSE exams are sat in Wales and Y11 when rest should have been sat. Exams had modifactioms for another 12 months after.

DD1 prom at end of Y11 - and covid hit March her Y10 - was cancelled next one actually held was two years later for DS year.

I never followed the MN logic of it was only a few months and at most one school year.

DD2 missed out on tranitionstuff end of Y6 and Y7 was very much not a normal year - lots of year groups sent home but long term it's had limited effects.

Think DN born just before lockdown showing more signs of issues than my older kids. There was limited outside events for him in his early years - there was no childcare when his mum had to go back to working from home - and it led to his parents relationship break down - added stressed proving too much. He won't remember it at all but I think the effects are there.

The actual COVID pandemic really did last about 2 years. So this makes sense. Dh and I were trying to buy a house during this whole time (first offer accepted beginning of March 2020, vendors eventually pulled out due to COVID uncertainty around jobs) and when we finally had an offer accepted in October of 2021, we were still doing one in one out viewings with the estate agents, couldn’t have any contact with other people coming to viewings, wearing masks, etc.

Not sure where in the World you teach, but it definitely did across the UK.

Oh, just spotted 2 people have already answered, with far more detail than me

I think a lot of baby's and young children were affected more than people think.
Thats why I'd like to see a more up to date survey on the worse affected age group.

If you speak with people who deal with young kids they'll tell you they see a difference in children who were babies and toddlers during it.

But every childs experience was different, some were still in nursery, others had furloughed parents with time on hands, others had Ceebbies as a babysitter while parents tried to work and school siblings.

Every generation has its challenges. Covid was terrifying but previous generations had to deal with their homes being bombed, their fathers and brothers going off to war and either not coming back or coming back so badly damaged. This generation isn’t the only one who had to deal with difficult events.

But then I would have sold my soul for the chance to study at home and not have to go into school for several months. I would have thrived.

I was amazed when they interviewed school kids and they were apparently upset at not being able to go in.

Yet they could still speak to their friends and family - if something like that is going to happen then at least it happened in these days of technology.

I didn't say they were.

But i don't think its right to minimise the affect on children's development or their social skills.

Primary schools got kids back after the first lockdown March to August who'd forgotten how to play. Beyond tig they were lost in the playground.
It was a crazy social experiment.

They were lucky in ways. They didnt have to sit school exams at all where I am during Covid years. They were given predicted grades.

I’m not sure that’s quite right. There were still many rules and restrictions in between those periods. My micro wedding was affected and Christmas was also cancelled for us, both of which were outside of those periods.

But presumably they had parents, also friends and family available on video calls?

I wasn’t sure what this meant ‘Beyond tig they were lost in the playground’

Do you mean they had no idea how to play games? Most would have siblings and most only children are independent players anyway.

Also the lack of exams meant that a lot of the teen angst was removed.

I realise some were affected but my concern is they are now growing up around everyone telling them they were victims of something terrible. So they adopt that mentality, which can’t help their resilience

The actual lockdowns were only about 6-8 months in total, but various restrictions lasted for about 18 months. There were some minor mask wearing and isolation rules for a bit longer. It depends what you classify as "lockdown"