Children playing out

[brittabot]

We live in a cul-de-sac and will often let the children play out with a parent hovering around nearby. We are considering doing this while schools are shut, eg giving them breaks every couple of hours so they can play together. Don’t want to be irresponsible but their playtime is important to them. AIBU if I let them play out with their friends in current climate?

who have no parents around from troubled areas to stay away from everyone. Instead we will just have groups of youths committing crimes every day until September and school starts. it is not going to go well. For some the virus will the least of the problems.

^^not everyone has a nice home to be in

Fresh air and sunshine is amazing for the immune system and recovery from illness. That is well documented. If you want to damage your immune system by hiding in dark houses, full of fear that’s up to you. But if you want to protect your children from viruses you should be out there getting some of the first spring sunshine.

No child should be sat inside today. Get them out in the fields and open their lungs with a run around.

Stress weakens the immune system. Sunlight and fresh air strengthens it.

Thing is, I think for a lot of families, taking their children out for walks on the beach or in the countryside, is alien to them. Most Summers, we'd be driving off up the road for a day out, seeing kids playing in the street, and when we'd come home, they'd still be playing out. They never got took out anywhere as a family.

No child should be sat inside today. Get them out in the fields and open their lungs with a run around.

Which is fine if they are not interacting with other kids by playing out as the OP proposed.

I can tell you on my street nearly everyone is out the front gardening

Good. This is fine. All in the one garden = not fine. Social distancing doesn't mean staying inside. OP's kids can of course be in the garden or an open space somewhere, just not playing directly with other kids in a small space. Lockdown probably will mean staying inside though, which we will end up with if people keep socialising in groups / not taking this seriously enough.

Social distancing still applies to them. It is fine to go out for walks with members of your family you live with but not kids playing out with other kids.

Peoples work, socialising etc is important to them also but they cant do that either.

People are massively missing the point on here, no one has to stay indoors in the dark, just don't bloody socialising with people you dont live with!

Go out for walks. Play in your garden. But do not mix with people that you don't live with. That's the whole point

We will be extending our families isolation to include one other family on our street - three people, so there are 7 of us mixing together without anyone else - as there are families of this size I think this is ok. The three kids will play out - two of the four parents will go to the shops when required (not together) and if any of us show symptoms we will all self isolate. This will stop the kids going bonkers and therefore help us not to go bonkers - the risk to us and everyone else will be the same as with a single large family. The government appear to be saying that this is ok

The guidelines are crystal clear ; don't justify irresponsible behaviour by pretending not to be able understand them. The messages aren't mixed as people keep saying. We are lucky to be allowed out for walks , in many European and Asian towns and cities getting out is not allowed .

Maybe read the diaries of Anne Frank and see what she and her family had to go through to stay alive and then see if you're children are hard done by!! I've just seen some teens walk past my house. We live by a playing field and its still business as usual where kids are concerned! It's crazy!!!!

Some of he expectations bear no relationship to reality in crowded cities in gang areas of London and the like where everyone is in a high rise block. "Get them out in the fields and open their lungs with a run around." Teenagers who will be alone all day instead of at school, for 6 months will of course not be alone. They will be spreading the virus much more through having no school to go to. They will not be going on walks on their own 2 meters away from all other persons.

@Bouncebacker this is essentially what we’re doing too. Two families, so just mixing our kids so they have someone to play with (outside only).

OP, please no - the whole point of social distancing is to remove the ability for the virus to spread between people. Please take this seriously if not for your own / family's health for other people

The children can play outdoors in their own gardens with their own families, or go for walks etc, but no playgrounds or playdates. It's not a school holiday.

We've been self-isolating for a couple of days (2 adults, 1 young child) and it's manageable.

I asked the same question OP at the start because the guidance from our government (in France) was pretty ambiguous. Once the government spelled it out, I got it and have stuck to it since. As I understand the UK govt have specifically said no play dates, so that’s pretty clear.

We live by a playing field and its still business as usual where kids are concerned!

Then the UK will need to do what is done in France: mobilise the police and army, clear everyone from every area like this and fine each one €135. And routinely patrol the same place daily until they get the message. The football pitch opposite our house has gone from 20 odd people playing footy / basketball every afternoon, to total desertion by today as it has been routinely cleared, locked and patrolled.

Our neighbour is carrying on as normal. Her daughter has been picked up by a friends mum and taken out, her Son has been playing in the street with a whole group of friends. Will be interesting to see what happens on Monday. She is a keyworker, but split from the childrens Dad, who works in a gym, so he wont be working.

In our local park people are playing football and ordering pizza together, perhaps 3/4 families all together

I don’t know why the schools have bothered to close as round here there are hoards of teens out either hanging about together or playing football and the playgrounds are full of smaller children and their parents . I very much doubt this will change on Monday unless the weather is bad .

Can they each stand by their own front door and play charades? Or an adult stands outside calling out objects (toy car, sofa cushion, pencil, book etc) and each child runs inside to find the item and first back wins. Or all learn a dance routine indoors on YouTube and then perform it outside their front doors together. Then they can play together, but apart iyswim.

People are being a bit mean here....

There IS confusion.

Surely there are some acceptable 'play' situations?
Rugby - no

Kicking a ball back and forth at a distance- surely is ok?

Can I just ask. What about the children that will still go to school? All mixing then go home to key workers....

www.facebook.com/120155736068/posts/10157992527756069/?vh=e&d=n

The advice is clear as mud.
I thought the answer to OP was of course not but this suggests otherwise

@Couch25k that's why still going to school should be an absolute last resort when parents don't have another option.

Can I just ask. What about the children that will still go to school? All mixing then go home to key workers....

Unavoidable so the rest of us have to do what we can.