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.

This pandemic is bringing out the absolute worst in people.

I take my kids out every day and despite being only 7 and 5 they have quickly learned about the two metre rule and will stop and get out of the way as soon as they see someone.

It doesn't stop some judgemental people (mostly older women walking dogs, and I'm not being agist or sexist here that's just what I've experienced) tutting and glaring at us as if we have no right to leave the house. I'm sick of of it.

It's made me realise just how awful people are. Sometimes I think this virus is karma for the human race.

Movinghouse - no we all stayed in the house and our small garden. It was tough and very happy to be able to get outside again.

YANBU i think people are being unreasonable and need to made educated judgements.

My kids, 15 & 12, are older than yours however they have been treated similarly

We live in a retirement area and the older generation have been unbelievable.

I think the pandemic has bought out an entitled behaviour of many people and many are angry about the current situation.

Everyone is worried for themselves but are losing sight of how young children are.

I had a little girl come up to me when out and you can choose how to react there is no need to over-react

A sad and soulless situation

Those individuals that are that scared should self-isolate at home and let the rest of us get on with it

As if someone is moaning about a child looking at ladybirds! Pretty soon lock down is going to be over and your all going to have to go back out into the big wide world just like us key workers have been doing all along where it’s not possible to social distance 24/7 so you won’t be able to scream and shout a little children for much longer unfortunately.

Sorry but sitting around looking at ladybirds is not a reasonable excuse for leaving the house

Oh my goodness. What a miserable world this has become. People have literally lost the plot.

YANBU The woman walked into the space of your DS and then your DH, not the other way around.

I've had or witnessed some strange incidents over the last couple of weeks, I can't work out if some people are deliberately looking for confrontation. DD and I were in our local park this afternoon. It has a massive field with a wide footpath around it. We were stopped right on the edge of the path fixing DD's cycle helmet, a group of dog walkers were behind us, they walked very close to pass us then made a sharp turn to get onto the field. Yet there was so much space behind us with clear access to the field but they chose walk close to us and then turn as soon as they'd passed us. Strange thing to do in normal times, even stranger when we are supposed to be socially distancing.

Yes I’m sure all those furious 60 somethings have very important meetings to attend and deadlines to meet so are in a tearing hurry 🙄

And looking at ladybirds is a brilliant reason to leave the house.

The world has gone mad. We all need to be thinking creatively and originally about how to get the economy moving, how to get our children educated and how to inject joy into our lives while avoiding a second peak. Instead we are judging parents who allow 3 year olds to look at ladybirds. Really?

YANBU The woman walked into the space of your DS and then your DH, not the other way around.

How long was it reasonable to expect the woman to wait for DH/DS to move?

YANBU about the people you have encountered but I do get very irritated at the amount of people who will not move their DC from the path of other people.

I do a daily one hour walk round my area and the amount of ignorant assholes who let their DC run ahead in the middle of the pavement and don’t call them back when they see someone is coming or will let them walk on the bike path while themselves taking up the pavement so I have to walk in the road to avoid them, is utterly ridiculous! I have DC and can remember to tell mine to get behind me or manoeuvre them so we keep a distance, so I don’t get why others can’t .

Sorry forgot to add that I don’t blame the DC’s at all, only their ignorant parents.

I also step onto the road when I see DC riding bikes on the pavement where there’s no bike path, and many DC are being taken out on bikes as parents probably think they have less chance of coming into contact with people, as I’d rather I was in the road than them but 9 times out of 10, the parent will not even acknowledge that I have moved with a simple nod.

Sorry OP. Rant over .

@slashlover

If she felt she has waited long enough could she not have politely said “sorry, would it be ok if you moved along a bit just so I can get past. Thank you!”

He was waiting for the toddler to catch up. I suspect we’re talking a few minutes at most. There was absolutely no need at all to be a dick about it.

I myself naturally make allowances for younger children, you cannot expect them to fully understand or to remember, and from what l have seen all parents doing a brilliant job.
I think there is a lot of resentment from certain groups of people who for years have had walks all to themselves and then suddenly schools all close and a lot of people not working, l work as a picker in a busy supermarket, we are working from 2.00 am now instead of 6.00 am start, because of 2m rule. The night team absolutely hate us being there, they have been used to having full monopoly of store during the night. It has almost become a war zone, l think we all need to practice self awareness ,patience and tolerance.

How long was it reasonable to expect the woman to wait for DH/DS to move?

As sunshine says the woman could have asked the DH if she could pass. From the OP it sounds as though the woman didn't even give the DH time to act.

My 7 and 4 year olds have tried so, SO hard to stick to the rules, they've been brilliant, they've hardly complained at all about playgrounds being closed etc, but I feel so stressed taking them out, constantly watching them and trying to preempt every single movement they might make. People need to treat each other with patience and kindness right now.

Hang on isn’t there something about 15 minutes somewhere as well.

So walking past someone is fine.

But don’t spend more than 15 mins within 2m of someone as that’s the risk point.

A few seconds should be fine.

@CoronaIsShit why don’t you get out the way then? Seriously get a grip you dot catch this virus walking past someone in the park. This hysteria needs to END

farfall maybe learn to read properly? I was not in a park. I walk on a path around my neighbourhood. Why should I have to walk in the road because people spread out over a double width path and cba to move their DC to one side so I can walk by? I’m sure if if I went too close to them they’d soon complain.

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 it is life and death for those who have pre-existing health conditions such as cancer and are vulnerable. That's why they have been advised to stay indoors and away from people. You have to take responsibility your own health and this couple clearly are not doing that by going to a busy and small nature park. They we're the ones not adhering to social distancing guidelines here.

Many people, especially older and vulnerable, are rightly scared. Keep children away from them.
Easy done, they can stay at home like they have been advised to do time after time after time after time. Not that scared are they, to go against scientific and government guidance. But yes their visit to the nature park, which is against guidelines trumps everyone else's visit.

Park, path, whatever. Everyone is becoming hysterical. Small kids need a break as do their parents. If you are vulnerable or ill I would stay at home.

The risk of transmission in outdoor spaces (unless we are talking about significant levels of crowding, like at a festival or very crowded streets where people get stuck in crushes) is about as close to zero as you can get without it actually being zero. The risk is coming from prologued indoor contact, mostly in the home and in workplaces. I am basing this statement on what is being said by actual scientists.

People are wasting time and energy worrying about the wrong things in this pandemic. We need to be setting in place proper measures to stop infection within homes and workplaces, not locking little kids up indoors and making parents miserable.

Easy done, they can stay at home like they have been advised to do time after time after time after time. Not that scared are they, to go against scientific and government guidance. But yes their visit to the nature park, which is against guidelines trumps everyone else's visit

Spot on. If you choose to go against government advice then don’t moan when you come across a kid in a green space. Take some responsibility for your own health fgs.

Yes it is life and death for those who have pre-existing health conditions such as cancer and are vulnerable.

So no perfectly healthy, young people without pre-existing health conditions have died?

MsTSwift

Yes I’m sure all those furious 60 somethings have very important meetings to attend and deadlines to meet so are in a tearing hurry 🙄”

Or they are terrified at having to be outdoors at all, have no help and no choice and are desperate to get home without contact of any kind as quickly as possible.

Give and take is needed from everyone. No one group is more deserving than another. Perhaps if everyone resolved to voluntarily - and happily - get out of the way for others (if that doesn’t cause them physical difficulty), these situations wouldn’t arise.