To be annoyed by the Duchess of Cambridge's claim that home schooling is 'exhausting'

[Livingtothefull]

www.edp24.co.uk/news/kate-middleton-video-call-parents-homeschooling-challenges-pandemic-7080128

I accept that lockdown has had an impact on everyone to some extent, however privileged. But I can't help being irritated by this. Even if we accept that she is doing the home schooling herself without any help, I don't think there is any comparison between her situation and that of many other people. I am not saying lockdown isn't difficult for her.....but it is a million times harder if you are say a single parent, struggling with home schooling and a minimum wage job which you may lose any time, worried sick about your and DC future if this happens. And doing it in a poky flat instead of a vast country estate.

And I know she may be trying to show empathy with the rest of us. But TBH I would have much more respect for the royals if they would just acknowledge their privilege rather than claim common ground which just isn't there.

'So, we have a virtual 50/50 split of royal family haters, and royal family lovers on this thread.

@Livingtothefull YABU. Kate's feelings are just as valid as anyone else's.'

I personally don't hate them at all littlepatilou. I actually quite like Kate and am willing to believe she means well. And of course her feelings are every bit as valid as everyone else's; but as several posters have explained already, this is not about the validity of her feelings but the appropriateness of airing them in a public forum as a RF member.

Feelings are subjective and experienced by the individual, that doesn’t make them above comment or reproach
And most certainly one can observe,and cast an opinion on KM and her
Experience
Just because a feeling is someone else lived experience doesn’t make it representative and nor does it render that account of feelings above scrutiny or reproach
So it wholly invalid to try establish some purity and validity meaning no one can ever comment on anyone else experience.

Are you pissed @HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee? That post makes no sense whatsoever.

@VinylDetective

Are you pissed *@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee*? That post makes no sense whatsoever.

Of course it makes sense. Read it again. Expressions of feeling and emotion especially of public figures is open to scrutiny. It is entirely possible that people say things about their own feelings that they don’t really feel just to seem a certain way. Plenty of people in the public eye and out of it do it.

I do believe that’s a fake & purposeful protest accompanied by,is you drunk?
Really low grade put down
Try harder@VinylDetective

I’ve read it three times @thewinkingprawn. It’s still gibberish.

I think it's dangerous and unhelpful to say people in the public eye can only express emotions that certain members of the public expect them to have. The only outcome of such censoriousness is to stifle conversation and compassion. As a MH approach, it's akin to theories from the 1950s. It's hugely damaging. I genuinely thought we'd moved on from them. How exhausting to see so many keen to drag us back there.

This thread is not discussing people in the public eye in general .
It is about the very privileged royal family

@VinylDetective

I’ve read it three times *@thewinkingprawn*. It’s still gibberish.

It is quite a complex concept so i can see why you don’t get it.

However I wouldn’t be so rude as to call the many things I don’t understand ‘gibberish’ more just things I can’t get my head round

So, we have a virtual 50/50 split of royal family haters, and royal family lovers on this thread.
My feelings to the royal family can best be summed up as ambivalent.
I just think that supporting remote learning is a challenge faced by many parents and a rush to the bottom where people argue that person A, B, C can't express their feelings because someone else has it worse is childish and silly.

It reminds me of threads where someone says they need some tips on how to use up some leftovers or they aren't sure whether A or B is better. There's always some posters who have to have a dig about how the OP must have an amazing life if that's all they have to worry about. Or the competitive workplace conditions threads where an OP lets off steam about something at work and then posters pile on to say that their aunt's cousin's neighbour was sacked for sneezing and they get 47.3 seconds to go to the bathroom so the OP should roll over and be ever so grateful that she has a job.

Imagine having so many chips on your shoulder that you resent people expressing their feelings on topics.

@SabrinaMorningstar

I think it's dangerous and unhelpful to say people in the public eye can only express emotions that certain members of the public expect them to have. The only outcome of such censoriousness is to stifle conversation and compassion. As a MH approach, it's akin to theories from the 1950s. It's hugely damaging. I genuinely thought we'd moved on from them. How exhausting to see so many keen to drag us back there.

Feelings are valid, but having some thought before expressing them is better.

I've lost my job and am sometimes a bit worried about cash, but also know I have savings and a family house where I could move back in wrist case scenario, so I'm not going to complain in front of truly poverty-strickeb friends about feeling poor.

Similarly, someone in a position of tremendous comfort with regards to homeschooling can feel exhausted but shouldn't complain to the public who are, by and large, in far harder practical circumstances AND funding her far more comfortable lifestyle.

Is Prince Andrew also allowed to complain about feeling hard done by, those are his feelings... Or is it just Kate who is special?

@thewinkingprawn

However I wouldn’t be so rude as to call the many things I don’t understand ‘gibberish’ more just things I can’t get my head round

The complex concepts I got my head round for my MA were written in standard English. That post wasn’t.

If you’d care to translate, I’ll happily say whether or not I agree with it.

Your coming across as somewhat churlish @VinylDetective,the pithy put downs and protestations
With your extensive knowledge of standard english and MA I’d expect something more erudite than
Are you pissed?
It’s Gibberish

Maybe read a bit more, up your game
Trade up your insults, try be funny, or even clever

Maybe Louis had been up on the night teething or Charlotte crawled in at 3 am and only wanted her Mom because she missed Persephone and Agamemnon from school. Maybe George woke them up because he's worried he's behind and he doesn't understand split infinitives. Maybe she actually WAS exhausted at that point in time and it's the first word that came to mind.

What was irksome about what Kate said is the implication that she is sharing the experience of others when she really isn't and can't.

I am sure that Kate & her family have found lockdown hard but it is whole different order of hardship for others and I feel she should have recognised this. Don't claim a commonality of experience that really isn't there.

The problem is not a RF member talking about their feelings per se. It didn't occur to anyone to complain when William & Harry talked about the pain of losing their mother. In that case they were (rightly) praised for being open about their feelings; as we all recognise that wealth and privilege is no protection against the grief of a bereavement.

I thought that the comment was ridiculous, she has a house full of servants!

Feelings are valid, but having some thought before expressing them is better.
So she isn't perfect. I'm ok with that
...shouldn't complain to the public who are, by and large. She answered a question she was asked. Would ignoring it be better? Or....
So Kate what words comes to mind when you think about home schooling?
Excitement! I'm just so lucky here with all this space to move around and time to go back to nature. We've just brought the children new computers of course and some desks to make it extra cute.
Or
The poor. When I think of homeschooling I just think of all those poor people with no computers and no garden and I think it's so hard for them all
You think either of those would have been better recieved?

Is Prince Andrew also allowed to complain about feeling hard done by, those are his feelings... Or is it just Kate who is special? hmm yeah cos finding homeschooling less than fun is totally comparable to bringing your family name into disrepute by your friendship and possibly more with a paedophile. Kate and Andrew are SO alike!!

Perhaps someone could suggest how she could have condensed “It’s really hard for everyone but I recognise that most people are finding it more difficult than we are” into the required single word?

I wrote for a living for over 30 years and I’m damned if I can manage it.

There is no universality of experience. RF in lockdown are not having a universal experience that the majority of others are
Because by social strata,class,position and having a security corps they are not regular parents
They live a v gilded and unique life that is incomprehensible and incomparable to vast majority of people. So let’s not do the saccharine awwww bless.they are parents just like us it’s disingenuous and boak worthy

And of course her feelings are every bit as valid as everyone else's; but as several posters have explained already, this is not about the validity of her feelings but the appropriateness of airing them in a public forum as a RF member.

I don’t require other posters explaining anything to me. I like that if Kate is feeling exhausted due to homeschooling that she says so, when asked. She didn’t sound like she was complaining at all. The alternative is some contrived answer that people would also moan about.

Were you a fan of Kate before she said this? Have you changed your mind as a result of her saying this?

Or did you not really like her anyway and will get narked whatever she says?

I really like W&K. But this was poorly judged. Not because I don't think her feelings are valid and it's all relative isn't it? It is still shitter than her usual life, just like homeschool and lockdown is shitter than MY usual life. But, it was a bit thoughtless or poorly thought out, which is unlike them I think. But maybe it just slipped out.

VinylDetective
I think some posters would have found anything she said enough to froth over.
Kate acknowledged that she is lucky to have staff working with the family = frothy whining post about how she's rubbing it in
Kate says that she's finding it difficult = frothy post whining about how she's not got a clue
Kate tries to tactfully avoid the question = frothy posts complaining that she can't even answer a simple question

Kate says nothing = probably a frothy post complaining that she's sitting around being fed grapes whilst everyone else raises her children

I don't have strong feelings about the royals, but find the attitudes on here towards female royals quite unpleasant.

as we all recognise that wealth and privilege is no protection against the grief of a bereavement.

Yes it is protection against other stuff someone might find challenging, someone make it make sense please.