Return to school - playdates, parties, halloween

[3morethanme]

I have very mixed feelings about the kids going back to school, i want whats best for them but it's a big school in a very small building, and so busy at drop off and collection it clogs up the area for several streets with people and cars - pretty unsure how its going to work.

But my main worry is that people will think everything is 'back to normal', i think its fine if people want decide for themselves what they are comfortable with. But my experience of primary school for my 3 kids so far has been endless requests for playdates, parties etc. I just don't want to do them this term, i want to focus on settling the kids, and wait to see how the autumn and winter goes.

AIBU to say to my kids and other parents no, i dont want to do playdates, birthdays (even small), trick or treating this side of xmas?

I'm already getting messages and people dropping by unannounced (I really don't like that!) for playdates and it makes me so uncomfortable. No judgement of others, I'd just prefer to hold off and prioritise seeing my wider family.

We are already doing playdates with a couple of friends from DD's class so will carry on with this once school starts, although we've mostly been meeting in parks and gardens so this will have to move indoors at some point when the weather turns. I don't think I'll feel comfortable with her attending parties this term though. My DC both have winter birthdays and we have already decided we won't be hosting parties this year, we'll find other ways to make their birthdays special. I wouldn't want to go to all that trouble and expense only for the whole thing to have to be cancelled due to a localised lockdown, one of us getting a cough and having to self isolate, a change in the rules etc.

I will be allowing those things, but with only 70 kids in the entire school it's a different kettle of fish.

I don't think YABU to be cautious. We won't be doing anything with people out of school or anything that is currently not allowed.