People should give young kids a break?

[Hottoddy1]

So I work as a healthcare professional 3 days per week, husband has an office job he is now having to WFH 4 days per week. We have 3 kids age 6, 3 and 1. We’re now trying to work around having no childcare or grandparent help so I’ve switched to working 1 day in the weekend and husband does other day + working early mornings and late evenings. We have little family time due to this. It’s been tough and I had (swab confirmed because of my job) covid early April, quarantine period and straight back and am only just starting to feel energy levels return.
Anyway we live in a city but luckily near a big wood/nature reserve where one of us takes the kids every day. Although many people are nice and smile some people are really difficult and it’s getting me down. Minor examples are tutting at 6 year old sitting on the grass looking at ladybirds and asking my husband to “get your child away” Most of the people tutting are older and presumably in the vulnerable category.
Yesterday Dh was at an area where the path is relatively narrow and the 3 year old was lagging behind so he was waiting. A woman came past the 3 year old and he pulled the buggy into the side as much as he could but she asked him in an angry way to move on because her husband had cancer. She wouldn’t have had to walk right next to him but it would have been about 1.2 m distance I guess, not the full 2m. He politely pointed out he couldn’t leave the 3 year old and she huffed and puffed and then walked by.
I get that the women and other people are terribly stressed by this and it’s a horrible feeling. We have explained to the children and they try and the 6 year old is really very good. But you cannot expect kids to remember and follow all the rules all the time. If you really feel you are in terrible danger if a child comes within 2m of you why come to a nature reserve in the city in the middle of the afternoon? It’s light until 9.30pm around here; if I’ve been working I often pop out for some air at 8pm and it’s quiet, just one or two dog walkers who as adults are fully able to social distance. It’s shit for little kids this, my 3 year old was in tears when I left for work as he’s worried I’ll get “the virus” he picks up on a lot but doesn’t really understand it so it’s tricky to explain stuff, people ostensibly dashing away from him doesn’t help. So if you’re vulnerable, you have my sympathy but AIBU to say in the middle of the day, give the kids some space and cut us a bit of slack.

Because he was walking on it? The 'problem' was not passing the 3yo. It was that the DH and buggy were slightly ahead on a narrow section and he didn't want to move forward until 3yo had reached them.

It must be so stressful to go through life being annoyed and impatient with everyone. I meet a lot of people like this and I just feel sorry for them. If we are out and our way is blocked, we just wait. We don't stress, we aren't rude to anyone, we don't mutter or assume that person is doing it to spite us. It just sounds exhausting.

Why was a 3 year old allowed to take up a path when there was someone wanting to pass?. So because they are 3 they should be made to move as age=importance?

It must be so stressful to go through life being annoyed and impatient with everyone

Believe me it is very stressful when grown adults can’t adhere to the rules of social distancing. In fact it’s a matter of life or death for some

Yes and the only adult in this situation not adhering to the rules was the woman who walked up the path to within 1.5 metres of the man with a pushchair!

Well obviously not for this woman as she couldn't be arsed waiting so just walked past. I really doubt anyone who believes it's a life or death situation would just stroll past instead of waiting an extra minute or two If I think something is dangerous, I just don't do it. It's called personal responsibility.

How much room does a three year old take up? Why shouldn’t a three year old be allowed to walk on a path?

I really doubt anyone who believes it's a life or death situation would just stroll past instead of waiting an extra minute or two

A minute or two for an ineffectual parent to move his 3 year old? Ok then....

Some people have bigger problems. Obviously not you

Not sure what my hypothetical problems or lack of have to do with anything! But sure!

How much room does a three year old take up? Why shouldn’t a three year old be allowed to walk on a path?

It’s a 3 year old, his parent and a pushchair who have taken up the path. The parent not being with the 3 year old. How much room would someone need to pass them all?

OP says there wasn’t 2 metres space to pass. Shall we all just ignore the guidelines set out to keep us all safe? OP THINKS her DCS can’t catch the virus. Do you really think they can’t catch it or pass it on?

I am beginning to wonder why the Govt are spending so much on keeping people home from their work or closing schools. Why not do what we are used to eh?

TeensArghhh, if you were on that path waiting for your dog to do it's business and this woman walked towards you telling you to move when you were already as far into the side as you could be, then walked past you at a 1.2 metre distance, who you think would have been in the wrong?

'Get your child away', asking in an angy way to 'move on' because husband has cancer - this is child friendly is it? What about asking nicely or politely and setting a good example to the children who are watching your behaviour? I'll bet these same people are the first to moan about the 'me generation'. If you are that vulnerable why are you even outside?? Oh hang on. Sorry we must all bow down to your needs and wants. And as for playing in a park, do you not know that they are shut? Even if there is one nearby that is open, one cannot teleport to these places. Keep taking your children out and ignore these miseries.

I think theres quite a few people out there who would be happy with this child catcher solution! With masks of course, except for the germ ridden children, they started it..

The woman who said her husband had cancer shouldn't be walking somewhere where she knew she couldn't keep 2 metres away from others. I doubt she had to walk that way. She wanted to walk past knowing there wasn't enough space so the fault lies with her.
Children need to go out but most of them will.probably end up with anxiety. My older children refuse to go out now because we've had people shouting at ua. Afraid I've become less tolerant of people saying things to my children and will say something back but obviously it's easier to stay in.
If people are that terrified of getting the virus then there's a very simple solution.

Blimey, some of you lot must live in some pretty hostile places .
In my 47 years of life, I have never been screamed at, been subject to hysteria, or regular filthy looks, and I've never been jumped on by a dog off its lead.
Life is so mundane round these parts.

I often wonder that if this virus killed children instead of vulnerable and old people, people would listen to the guidelines more.

My DD and DIL manage to take their 2 year old and nearly 6 month old out every day, without putting vulnerable people at risk. My DH takes care of his dad, with Alzheimer’s. He doesn’t have the opportunity of putting a 80+ year old adult in a buggy or holding his hand to safely pass others. Yet he manages just fine, without putting others at risk. What is it with parents of 3 year olds who think nobody else is as important (or cute) than their 3 year old spending ages on the side of a track watching ladybirds, whilst their dad stands there watching a woman with a husband with a cancer diagnosis try to pass safely?

We are in the middle of a pandemic. Everyone needs to be protected. I really don’t get why some people don’t get it 😏

If the govt said from the start that under 10’s were most likely to die from this bloody virus would parents of under 10’s be more cautious?

Yes, in that case I would stand and wait with my toddler until the person ahead of us was able to move on and we could all pass safely. I wouldn't just walk past, ignoring social distancing. That would be silly

Sorry but sitting around looking at ladybirds is not a reasonable excuse for leaving the house. These outings are supposed to be for exercise and it is the parent's responsibility to keep a child moving if others are around and a 2m distance from them.

If you cannot do this then suggest YOU leave the house when there are less people around. If that means keeping child up until 10pm, tough.

Many people, especially older and vulnerable, are rightly scared. Keep children away from them.

My 3yo dd does not understand social distancing AT ALL. She's very friendly and sociable.
So we go in the garden in good weather and only go to the park or beach (both 10 min walk away) when it's either raining or freezing cold, because there's no-one else there. I am "vulnerable", I don't want dd getting too close to someone who may not even realise they have covid, then passing it on to me.

It must be tough keeping 3 children away from people all at the same time.

I often wonder that if this virus killed children instead of vulnerable and old people, people would listen to the guidelines more

Well this scenario would pretty much be:

I took my child out for a walk, despite the risk I know it's good for them physical and also perhaps for their mental health; as they are vulnerable but not have not been asked to shield, I find it unreasonable to stay in the house 24/7. Anyhow, I live in a city, and the only nice green space we have is the nature reserve- I know it's a bit narrow in places, but hopefully everyone will be mindful that my child is at risk and observe social distancing guidelines. So we get to a narrow bit of path, this elderly woman is just sat in the grass, we are not supposed to be stopping so this makes me a bit nervous, but we carry on. We get to a narrow bit of path, and there is an elderly gent taking up the width of the path whilst he waits for what appears to be his wife who is hanging around behind. In honesty leaving the house is pretty scary at the moment, and I don't want to be hanging around for longer than neccessary, he has been there a while and made no effort to move so I try and squeeze past as I'm getting anxious now. Still no effort to move; why on earth can't they go out walking at another time of day? After all they aren't at risk, they aren't making an effort to try and abide by social distancing rules, it makes me a bit nervous to take my child out again as the news it telling me that it's really dangerous and we must be careful. In honesty I know rationally it's probably fine, but with the media and everything else I'd rather just be careful.

No doubt posters would be frothing about the selfishness of the oldies, and I doubt anyone would be cooing over how much they are sacrificing, or that the children should stay indoors all of the time. No, children don't fully understand, but that's why as adults you are mindful when you go out. We go out early and hardly see anyone, it's not the most scenic walk but even though he is on reins he can be a bit more free.

If your DH has to stop, he should move off the path. If the 3yo is stopped on the path, he needs to go back and get the child. We are definitely emphasizing that just like sometimes people step off the path for us, we need to take our turn getting out of the way.

Batshit, genuinely. Some of the posters on here have completely lost their grip on reality.

There are going to be some people with very empty lives when the pandemic ends and they no longer have “COVID related judging” as their number 1 daily activity.

You've changed the story Servers so it isn't equivalent.

Changing the perspective to children being at risk would be:

I was going for a walk and there was an older woman standing around on the path. Ahead of her was her husband who was waiting for her. I walked past the woman and when I reached the man he stepped to the side of the path. I asked him in an angry way to move because I had a vulnerable child at home. He said that he had to wait for his wife, so I walked past him at a distance of 1.2 metres, huffing and puffing as I went.

I'm pretty sure that if someone posted that on here they wouldn't be treated with sympathy.

The problem is the general public do not know what is going in other people's homes and if they are following the social distancing rules. This making people become unnaturally aware of everything and everyone around them.

Did you DH continue to take the children out for walks whilst you were isolating with covid?

If he did, this is exactly why people are cautious.

Typical hysterical responses from people who think you're going to catch coronavirus from walking past someone on a path.