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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not have a laptop for every individual in the house?

35 replies

help1653 · 18/03/2020 23:22

Just that really.

So we are self isolating, plus kids would be off from Monday anyway. They are 6 and 8. Youngest's school hasn't said to do anything, eldest wants them to do online learning. But we only own two laptops and need them both to work from home. We have a couple of old tablets but they don't run anything sensible, just old games.

Not buying primary school children their own laptop/tablet has gone from sensible parenting decision to terrible parenting decision in less than 2 days. And now we have run out of paper so I can't even print stuff for them to do, if they wanted to do anything on paper, which they don't as it is just not cool.

OP posts:
theneighbourswindchime · 18/03/2020 23:23

Wipe the tablets to factory settings and download core 5

GrumpyHoonMain · 18/03/2020 23:23

You could buy a notepad for 100-200 pounds. Just ensure internet is restricted

MsTSwift · 18/03/2020 23:26

Just panic bought dd2 her own lap top for the lock down. She’s year 6 was going to get one in year 7 but needs must. We both wfh and need our computers non stop. Dd1 year 9 works all the time on hers

rjebgf · 18/03/2020 23:29

I’ve also just had to buy a laptop as we were sharing.

m0therofdragons · 18/03/2020 23:30

We have 3 dc ages 8-12. Usually they have one laptop between them but we've now bought a couple of chromebooks for the younger 2. They were £179 each. It's far from ideal but as a financial hit it is peanuts compared to other people's situations. If dh and I weren't working I would have planned not computer activities but unfortunately we'll be parenting, educating and working all in one.

Sh05 · 18/03/2020 23:38

We have three DC in highschool and 2 laptops. The plan was to work in shifts but eldest in yr 11 so should be ok now as no GCSEs. If they go by predicted grades or last mock results he's sorted for college applications

ThisMustBeMyDream · 18/03/2020 23:41

I had to ask my dad for money for one tonight. I'm a grown woman earning good money. But in these times I simply can not justify hundreds of pounds on anything at all.

It will show the divide between the rich and poor with the huge gaps in learning.

WhereverIMayRoam · 18/03/2020 23:47

It’s not unreasonable, plenty of primary school dc don’t have one but given you’re now going to have to home educate your dc for probably a few months, you’re going to have to organise something. You and dh could tag team so one laptop can be used for school work, you could sort out the iPads, or you could buy some paper. Surely it doesn’t matter how “cool” the dc think it is or whether they want to use paper?

Crunchymum · 18/03/2020 23:51

Mine are both using an Amazon Fire. They can alternate my work laptop on the days I'm off.

Ivebeentohellanditscalledikea · 18/03/2020 23:55

My 9 yr olds school are expecting him to work a full school day online with the usual breaks including checking in. I'm lucky I only have to make physical resources for my work or we would be stuck. My older two are sharing between a laptop and old tablet.

Original poster
help1653 · 18/03/2020 23:56

WhereverIMayRoam Yes I can probably get some printer paper delivered from somewhere. It is actually more difficult that writing not being cool, my son just refuses to write, his writing is about 2 years behind his peers and he is teased about it, and has been told he is bad at it by the school for the last 4 years. So he won't do it. As he is well behaved the school aren't very interested in helping him with his writing other than giving him extra spelling words. Which he also can't seem to learn. But he can read and is well co-ordinated so having decided dyslexia and dyspraxia are unlikely they just assume he will catch up eventually. Which he probably will. But it makes his life at school pretty rubbish, and he brings that home and makes parts of our life pretty rubbish as he's so upset.

Yes I will find the money for another laptop, although the choice is bewildering and I can't even find out if the sites they need will work on different laptops are they don't use comparable terms. I guess I have to buy something and hope its not shit.

OP posts:
TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 · 18/03/2020 23:57

OP try CEX or other second hand stores, you can get a basic refurbed laptop that will see you through a few months for less than £100

Leaannb · 18/03/2020 23:57

I can't imagine my children not having laptops for school. Everything they do is on the computers and online. They aren't even issued textbooks anymore. Its all downloaded to their laptops. That starts in 2nd grade

Flavabobble · 19/03/2020 00:02

All that means, Leaanb, is that you have a very limited imagination.

Ivebeentohellanditscalledikea · 19/03/2020 00:04

@Leaannb not all schools are like that. My son gets everything on paper still and the older two now get their homework from an app but most of it is to be hand written in books. Plus I can't afford 4 laptops so we have to share what we have. I only have the second because it was given to me by a family member who had upgraded.

BigGillsBigMac · 19/03/2020 00:05

1 laptop between 4 kids. 3 high-school age.

Not gonna happen

Fashionablylate1999 · 19/03/2020 00:23

www.magiclinkhandwriting.com/
OP, when the world is less crazy try this for your son. My child's handwriting has been awful, they really struggled and have been behind their peers for years (school have been no help). They completed this last year and the improvement is amazing. It's not cheap but was really worth it for us

Leaannb · 19/03/2020 00:32

@Flavabobble What means that you jave a very limited imagination? Doing school work? Not sure if I follow your train of thought

FortunesFave · 19/03/2020 00:38

Wipe the tablets to factory settings and download core 5

This. Why don't you acknowledge that poster's excellent advice?

iMoan7 · 19/03/2020 00:58

What’s core 5? Blush

StillDisappointed · 19/03/2020 01:25

Thankfully I'm not in this position at the moment; but what provisions do they have in place for the families who can't afford laptops/WiFi?

It breaks my heart that some of these kids are going to spend an unspecified amount of time with no sensible adult, chaotic home lives, no access to any learning materials because they're unaffordable...
I wish there was something I could do, I would love to take in these children during the day.
Even to do a bit of group home learning and for a hot dinner Sad

StillDisappointed · 19/03/2020 01:28

@Leaannb 2nd grade? Are you in the US?
In the UK, kids as young as 7-8 have no need to access the internet for their education; the web is there to supplement their learning, but it's not essential.

PorpentinaScamander · 19/03/2020 01:30

DS1 uses a laptop at school because he is so slow at writing. School have sent the laptop home for him. But it didn't have a charger so we've had to borrow money to buy one.

I know many many families who can't afford laptops. I have no idea how they are going to keep up with work :(

(DS1 also has his own laptop that he saved up for. I've told him he will have to let dS2 use it for the time being)

GoatyGoatyMingeMinge · 19/03/2020 01:55

@iMoan7
What’s core 5?

lmgtfy.com/?q=core+5

Watchagotcha · 19/03/2020 04:44

We supplemented by my bringing a laptop home from work, and lending my own Mac to DS12 for the duration. A few days into it (we are in France) and there is no way we could have shared: he has up to 11 different teachers sending him work in various formats: done of thing as to pro our, some videos to watch, sone want photos of work sent to them etc.

DH is a teacher here, and yes there is an assumption that every child has easy, all day, access to a computer. They use the Google Éducation suites, they are working really well - but the kids (and DH) are spending hours on a screen every day.