...to think that Matt Hancock has a very strange idea of grandparents' day-to-day lives?

[Jourdain11]

His "don't kill granny" type comments. Does he really imagine that all grandparents are these poor, housebound people who do nothing but sit at home waiting for their children and grandchildren to waft past and pay the occasional visit?

My mother and stepfather, both in their early 60s, still work (part-time in my mum's case, full-time for my stepfather). They are both going to work, seeing friends, seeing family. They haven't seen me or my children since last New Year, incidentally, so if they catch Covid it won't be from their grandchildren! (They are in Paris.)

Does Matt Hancock honestly think that the contact circle of the average grandparent is limited to their children and grandchildren?

I get that it's to make people feel accountability and all that, but it's a little insulting!

@Frazzled13

YANBU, my mum is 54 and a grandmother and, she teaches in a secondary school. Maybe she shouldn’t go to work, in case the pupils all kill that particular granny.

She's younger than me and I have children in secondary school. I'm not a grandmother, maybe it should be 'Don't kill Mother' as well.

Does the government remember that the retirement age is now 66, so plenty of grandparents are still working? We are in our 60s, and have been to shops, restaurants and cafes (where incidentally there was no SD, never mind masks by the staff) in the last 2 weeks. Actually with the benefit of hindsight, we wouldn’t have gone there if we’d known about the lack of precautions!

Our grandchildren, who have both had the corona virus are the last people we would suspect of giving us the virus!, if we do get it!

YABU. It's just a turn of phrase, he's trying to encourage people not to be selfish arses. (Labour Party member here).

Yeah, I agree with you. I’m all for taking measures to avoid spreading the virus to vulnerable people but ‘don’t kill Granny’ was just such a pathetical, alarmist, scare-mongering statement. And why Granny? Isn’t Grandad more at risk than Granny anyway?

I get what you mean but most grandparents aren’t in their 50s/early 60s.

I'm a granny to one and also still have primary aged DC. I'm 44. He's living in an era where grandparents were all 60+ I think!

I get that he's not meaning specific grannies, and it's a broad spectrum of ages. But I also think it's a horrible message to pass to to kids tbh.

It perfectly describes my great-grandparents who are 94 & 91 and haven’t left the house since January as both have lots of health problems.

No all school age children have healthy grandparents in their early 50,s my boys are 10 and 13 and both my parents are 78 and my mum's not in great health ,also he,s aiming this sentiment at people in their 20,s and 30,s whose grandparents will be considerably older .

I like the police officer wording referred to above...MH seems to talk to everyone like they are idiots which is really not helpful.

@Cocklepops

You people do realise that the messages from government aren’t personalised to you and your individual circumstances, don’t you. They’re trying to appeal to a broad group with a common message. They don’t know that 66 year old Shirley works in the local Spar despite being a great grandmother. Good on her. This message isn’t for her particular situation. It’s trying to get the attention of the 20 - 30 year olds who barely realise there’s a life outside of social media and have a horrible tendency to think they are the sun, moon and stars to simply everyone. Trying to appeal to their better nature and remind them to protect vulnerable people in their own family. Don’t take it so personally for goodness sake.

This a million times!

What about Great Grandparents? Lots of kids have them and they're not likely to be working!.

My son won't be seeing his now he's back at school as they're in their 90's and yes, it could kill them.

Of course he's not suggesting every grandparent is at significant risk.

The point is that we need to be aware that vulnerable people (like the elderly) including those we know ourselves can be impacted and even die if we're each not careful with social distancing, hand washing etc.

However, what I've said takes too long to say quickly or on a poster to get the message across fast....but the message is effectively delivered by 'Don't kill Granny'

Granny quite simply represents a vulnerable person that you actually know. It brings the impact of YOUR actions into sharp relief when you realise your actions don't just impact those you don't know but can impact those close to you,nwhicwhich you love too...it gives a greater incentive to choose to so usally distance etc.

I don't see why people take offence or can't understand the message...it's pretty straightforward and simply designed to encourage us all to do the things the government needs us to do to protect everyone including mostly importantly the vulnerable.

These messages have to be short, memorable and make us take notice and ideally take action. 'Don't kill granny' does all these things....therefore it's a good slogan. Simples.

Historically grandparents were younger, in fact, as people tended to marry earlier and have children earlier; I'm in my mid 50s and my mother was considered an elderly first time mum in 1963 at the age of 27. In my area grandparents of school age or teenage children in their 50s are pretty rare, as most of my friends didn't have children till their early to mid 30s, many later. My children are now 19 and 22, the age Matt Hancock is talking about. Their grandparents are in their 80s.

yabu. "don't kill granny" didn't conjure up a picture of someone in a rocking chair or nursing home, for me. It's a relationship not a lifestyle.

I kind of like 'Nan' if we're talking preferred familiar names used in Britain, though.

I think for me it’s the use of the word “granny” that does it. “Don’t kill Granny,” for goodness’s sake, it’s like a 1940’s war slogan

My DM was a grandmother at 39! She had my eldest sister at 20 then my eldest sister had her first at 19. They seem to assume all grandparents are awaiting their telegraph from the Queen.

Yes...it is like a war slogan....intentionally so, because we are in a crisis and hard-hiring statements are needed to persuade people to take action, who otherwise become easily complacent about social distancing.

Granny represents the elderly and vulnerable. Most of us know elderly or vulnerable person and would hate to be instrumental in giving it to them, but if we are slack in social distancing and hand washing might do so.

@HunterHearstHelmsley surely you know that your particular family is against the norm though?? I don’t know any grandmothers under 40!!

Grandparents covers a huge age span. I have a friend who has just become a grandparent at 53 even though there is only 16 years between her and the child who gave birth.

My teenage children have grandparents who are 89, 80, 75 and 75.

I think you need to try and use your imagination a bit here. Sure, some grandparents are still working full time. But they are young grandparents and probably not the average.

Much of it depends on where you live, I suspect.

@EmilySpinach

I think one of the hardest adjustments of this pandemic has been getting otherwise fit, healthy, active older people to recognise that where this virus is concerned they are vulnerable. My parents were livid at the idea but their offence doesn't change the facts of the situation.

There are plenty of elements of this government's communications and handling of the situation that you could get angry or offended by but honestly I really don't think this is one of them.

Because we don't give a shit.

We do know we have limited healthy life left and want to actually live it

Existing longer is not an aim for many of us. We want to live our lives and when we can't live our lives we want to die (whether it's Covid or anything else) it's not a case of 'keeping us alive' for your benefit.

Apart from anything else Wanksock should have said Granddads as they are far more likely to die from it.

Why didn't he - because it doesn't convey the same fuzzy feeling?
or maybe because the age he is talking about there are already a lot fewer men around than women.

We have lived through flu seasons that have killed more people, we were children when lots of children got polio. We have lived through a load of things and this would just be one more if it wasn't for the internet and social media meaning everything happens on your virtual doorstep.

A lot of us don't care if we get it - even if we die. Those of us that do then it's up to them to be careful - not deprive young people of their life.

Other vulnerable people should be protected, people in residential care should be protected but FFS leave me, at least, to look after myself.
(And your parents too by the sounds of it - they are not stupid and it isn't up to you to tell them how to live their life)

The message that he was trying to get across is obvious 🙄

Slogans need to be short and snappy and hard hitting to make us take note.

If instead it says 'all the vulnerable which might include those over 70 and especially those over 85 plus those with this list of health conditions...' .....somehow the impact of the message is lost.

It is meant to be shocking. The reality is that our personal actions could cause someone's Elderly granny or other vulnerable relative or friend to die. It's as simple as that. We need regular reminding becaue otherwise we get a bit slack by going into social situations with more households or by not washing hands, or by just pushing things a bit more than were supposed to......but these increase infection and whilst we might be fine if we get Covid (and indeed your younger Grannies might too) other people Grannies and elderly people we know or don't know are put at risk.....and some will die.

All the best propoganda personalises its messages. Granny isn't just a vulnerable stranger we don't know or barely care about....it's our dearly loved relative who we do care about. We want to protect her and we want others to as well. We all have 'grannies' in our lives. Miss a pretty simple message really and not intended to be taken entirely literally in terms of only look out for female relatives whose children have had children, regardless of their age or circumstance and ignore everyone else! Isn't it obvious.....well it seems it's not!

And if it's upsetting....well Covid is upsetting, so if a little bit of upset makes us change our behaviour, it's worth it.

I believe Hancock said ‘don’t kill Grandma’ during an interview on Radio 1. He was trying to tailor his message to his audience, and ‘cut through’ with a punchy phrase, which doesn’t seem unreasonable in the circumstances,

@GreekOddess I thought so too

I'm not normally one to be defending the government, but he's speaking generally and trying to find something that will make 20-29 year olds behave more carefully than they might otherwise.
Not everything a politician says is going to be relevant to everyone. It's perfectly clear that he doesn't mean 50 year old grannies - he means those who are old enough to have grandchildren in their 20s.