To be sad we've done nothing.

[Needtosleep4days]

I can hear everyone outside having fun. Everyone's in their front gardens laughing and talking. I've got a headache and feel sick. So I'm in bed. I've had to shut the window to drown out the noise.

All my friends have had afternoon tea, BBQs and fun today. I figured we are locked down and it's just another day.

Now I feel bad ive not done anything. My kids are only 2 and 5 so war is too much for them to understand anyway. But I feel I've missed the point of today judging by everyone else.

I have shared a picture of my wonderful Grandad on Facebook who fort in berma. Very proud to be his Grandchild.

I can't believe I didn't realise how big today was going to be.

Needtosleep4days - we did nothing today too. Don't beat yourself up please.

You're remembering your grandfather who like my Dad was in the forgotten army in the Far East. VJ Day isn't until 15 August. My poor Dad used to get upset that there were no national celebrations for it when that is the real date WW2 ended.

Hope you feel better soon.

Don't feel bad. We've not done anything either and I have respect for those who fought in the war like your grandad. My grandparents were in protected occupations so spent their time down the pit or in a steelworks during the war.

Take a bit of time to remember your grandad. I'm sure he'd have appreciated that more than you making some scones!

I could be wrong but knowing my grandma I'm not so sure all this celebration is misplaced. I think they'd ask us to stop and have a moment for the 30,000 that have lost their lives.

In some ways I'm happy for everyone hanging around all day in a tea dress drinking their 5th glass of pimms but everything is just so shit right now.

I barely saw anything happen around here, but then I am in super-middle-class London suburb!

I doubt half as much effort would have been put into today were it not for lockdown.

It would here. We'd have had a garden party with friends and family.

I'm boycotting it. Victory in Europe is an incredibly distasteful title for such a day. Peace in Europe, that would be fine. It's toxic nationalism at a time when we should be coming together as global citizens. Just more sheeple compliance.

I'm proud of my grandparents who fought in the war. But they didn't fight for this version of England. We should honour them through kindness and inclusion, not through being a bunting and scones front garden wanker.

@Needtosleep4days

It's a 'big' thing this time, as it was on the 50th. I think they decided to make a lot of the 75th anniversary, because there are still people around who remember the war. By the time of the 100th anniversary, that won't be the case any more.

My neighbour's dc are similar age to yours, and all they did was eat party food in the front garden, wave some flags and dance about, playing. They wouldn't have understood why.

You don’t have to celebrate to care. I think people have probably celebrated more than usual because of lockdown. It’s anything to lift the spirits and be a community at the moment!

Don't feel bad it's not compulsory to do anything to mark the day but I'm amazed you didnt know how big it was going to be, it's been all over the media for weeks.

I doubt half as much effort would have been put into today were it not for lockdown

Maybe not where you live but in my area there were lots of events planned that have all had to be cancelled.

We did nothing to mark VE Day, 2yr old DS is too young to understand really. But as we're off work and it's sunny, we went on a lovely long walk and then have spent the day in the garden and had a BBQ. I'm a tad jealous of all the lovely afternoon tea I've seen though!

Don't worry op. We did nothing. I'm on day one of my period so feeling rubbish, and completely forgot till DP gave dog his evening walk and saw all the street parties. My kids are 3 and I have no desire to explain ww2 to them feeling like I am today.

What you have done is more than acceptable. You have marked the day in your own way with your personal act of remembrance. I for one don't believe that you have to go all out singing and dancing to honour a milestone like this.

If you did however feel the need to do something else, why not do something for VJ day on the 14th August? My grandfather also fought in Burma and it does irk me somewhat that a lot of people seem to forget that VE day was only the end of the conflict in Europe, not the end of the whole Second World War.

I'm aware this won't be a popular view on the sometimes conservative Mumsnet. But I that doesn't trouble me - I own it. I find the degree to which this country fetishises WWII to be quite distasteful. The 'enemy' we were fighting a long 75 years ago are now our allies. In a further irony the real enemy, Nazism, unfortuately still has a nasty, vicious underbelly still running through our society. And as long as we continue to marginalize and 'otherize' certain groups on a similar sort of basis, any celebration of the end of that kind of attitude rings hollow to my ears. Less attention to WWII and more on today's wars, discrimination, marginalization and brutality would be a better commemoration to those who gave their lives for our freedom, IMO. Better to learn from a painful, brutal period of our history than to fetishize it, romanticize it, or to continue the same patterns of behaviour ad nauseum.

The 'policing' and social shaming of people who refuse to wear poppies (a bit like refusing to clap for the NHS in today's climate) is another case in point. Newscasters are lambasted for wearing the damned thing on the wrong lapel.This is the so-called freedom our veterns fought for. I suspect my grandfather would have been horrified by the politicising of a once benign, beautiful symbol which has now been turned into a weapon of social control. I'm not playing the particular game of enforced conformity, and couldn't care less if I'm accused of a lack of respect.

If others want to celebrate it let them crack on, but I'm not following the reasoning that you hadn't realized it was a 'thing', and therefore should have made more of an effort. Why should you, especially if you are feeling ill? On that note, hope you feel better soon!

I’m very conflicted about celebrations around war. We haven’t done anything for VE Day. There might be street parties but we weren’t invited to them anyway. Spent the day with my family (obviously, lockdown!)

It's not my thing so I haven't done anything. I'm happy for those that want to hang out with their neighbours and have fun though!

We've never celebrated VE day. Don't see the point. We're in Scotland though where not many people make a fuss about it.

Yes it's definitely lockdown isn't it. People just need that boost. I do understand it too. In getting down now being home and cut off. But I don't want to take chances. The chances are most in the street are not carrying the virus. But if one person is then they could infect the neighbours and so on. It's not worth the risk.

It wasn't fair for them though and the sadness and horror they lived through. They were robbed of a happy safe life.

Coronavirus has got me thinking though. I always presumed I would never live through a tough time and this is the start. I just hope this virus doesn't screw up our kids futures. (going of subject now)

Yes sadly in 25 years time they would have all passed. I don't think the people in the war would like what we've become either. We are a very spoilt generation! We have too much. Everything's too easy and many kids have no respect anymore. I think we need to go back in some ways to the older days.

Please don't feel bad. You have got young dcs and you didn't feel well. I am sure your Grandad would have said 'stay in bed and rest'.

I was cajoled into having a cup of tea with the neighbours but usually I try and avoid these things just because I am introverted, nothing wrong with that. I think these things are great if you're sociable and that way inclined but if you're not they just cause unnecessary stress.

There were quite a few in our street that didn't come out and I truly don't think the worse of them. I think sometimes because of social media you can feel on days like this that the whole world is doing things apart from you and that really isn't the case.

I agree with you MarieIVanArkleStinks. My grandmother fought in the war, he was at Dunkirk. I have great pride in what he did for his country. But what have we learned from it all?

*grandfather, of course!

All the other 7 houses in our cul-de-sac are having a party on a drive, no 2 metre distancing. We weren't invited. I feel rotten. My husband is disabled, my kids live over a hundred miles away, stay in university cities. I sympathise.

So much shit has gone down at street parties today. There will be a covid spike in a few weeks.

@Littlepond Yeah, the irony isn't lost on me.

Aghh my post posted without a paragraph.

I wrote how we as a generation are spoilt. We have too much now. I dont think the ww2 fighters would like how we've become. We need to find a balance again between then and now. But it won't happen.

We've done nothing either.
I don't agree with celebrating what should never have been.
My parents were the same and they lost many of their families in WW2, including my mum's brother, only 17.
I light a candle and have a few minutes peace, in thought.
Not forgetting them is the most important thing, not being on show.

Oh it went on the bottom of my post instead. Confused lol! Ignore me guys!

I'm an introvert too. Never been the life and soul. To be fair even if I did my kids tea in the garden they would eat it and walk away. They are too young. I think social media makes us feel rubbish about many things. Maybe the people posting afternoon tea had miserable kids behind the scenes lol!!!