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.

@Thedogscollar

If she said nothing people would be calling her out for not caring.

So she says something people still calling her out for saying in their eyes the wrong thing.

Poor bugger can't do right for doing wrong.

Would they? Or would they just not give a shit?

@SoddingWeddings

For fucks sake, it's not a competition. All parents are struggling in some way right now.

We might not be in the same boats (some might be in super yachts rather than leaky canoes) but we're all in the same damn storm.

Having more rooms in a house doesn't make children happier, but it does make life a little easier in other ways.

Those children can't see their elderly grandparents and great grandparents, just like all other children.

This. The bloody misery Olympics is completely unnecessary.

Why does everything have to be a race to the bottom?

You only have 1 DC so you don’t deserve find it tough
Your job isn’t at risk so don’t deserve to find it tough
You live in a big house/ have a cleaner/DH works from home so you don’t deserve to find it tough

So fucking what?!

Because everyone else with 3 young children don't have their husband around all the time, nannies, tutors and goodness knows who else round to help.
Because most of us don't have a huge garden and large playrooms for their children.
Because most of us are working hard and worrying about how secure our jobs are.
Royal Family haven't got a fucking clue what it's really like and they never will. I used to think Catherine was a bit more normal than the rest of them but has changed the longer she's been married to William.

@SoddingWeddings

For fucks sake, it's not a competition. All parents are struggling in some way right now.

We might not be in the same boats (some might be in super yachts rather than leaky canoes) but we're all in the same damn storm.

Having more rooms in a house doesn't make children happier, but it does make life a little easier in other ways.

Those children can't see their elderly grandparents and great grandparents, just like all other children.

Exactly.

No I don't think she was wrong to say this. I think she is just expressing something, with empathy, that everyone has in common, that it's tough.

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

Ok she has money... but what relevance is that? and the award for the most risible comment goes to...

FFS!

Half the women on Mumsnet appear to be extremely comfortably off by my reckoning. Lots of privileged London high earners from many of the threads I've read.

Does that mean that they aren't allowed to find lockdown hard?

@Annabell80

Because everyone else with 3 young children don't have their husband around all the time, nannies, tutors and goodness knows who else round to help. Because most of us don't have a huge garden and large playrooms for their children. Because most of us are working hard and worrying about how secure our jobs are. Royal Family haven't got a fucking clue what it's really like and they never will. I used to think Catherine was a bit more normal than the rest of them but has changed the longer she's been married to William.

How do you know they aren't doing home schooling themselves? Have you popped round for a brew recently and seen her sat on her arse in her trackies on the sofa? We do not know what's going on in their homes. Frankly it's none of our business.

It is NOT a competition.

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.

I'm a SAHP with two children. Am I allowed to find it tough or do I not meet your threshold? We have enough food to eat and a device each to use in case that rules me out. Am I too privileged to say this is bloody hard? Can we not just accept that it's quite a shit time for most people without constant competitive misery?

I don’t usually give her comments a second thought but when I saw this on the BBC (for gods sake how is it even news) I rolled my eyes. Yes her feelings are valid but have some bloody empathy with people who are genuinely exhausted beyond it being a bit tiring having the kids around when they are not doing their online schooling that their prep school is putting on, supervised by nannies. It really isn’t exhausting is it when you think about it and actually I do think she could have said exhausting but then caveatted it by saying but I know we are extraordinarily lucky. That would have helped. A faux pas I think.

It's not top trumps. She doesn't have to be a single mum, using a foodbank living in a bedsit to find homeschooling a struggle ffs.

None of us have any idea if the children have tutors or not. So its unfair to assume they have.

They are at a private school and all the parents I know whose DCs are at private schools say schools are providing very structured home-learning BUT it still needs managing by parents.

The Royals can't win whatever they do, can they?

If they appear to empathise (and it may be genuine) they are shot down, if they remain remote and say nothing, that's wrong too.

Whatever your place in society , there will always be others who are better off and worse off than you.

I'm a stay at home mum of a two year old. I'm finding this lockdown extremely exhausting, and mentally draining. I didn't realise I couldn't feel that because I'm not home schooling and working from home at the same time.

And it’s got nothing to do with it being a competition, it has to do with a large proportion of this country really struggling, no help, no money, working all hours. That is truly exhausting. We partially fund her role as tax payers so yes she should be more sensitive to what she says.

Just because she is privileged does not mean that she must always find things easy. I imagine there's a fair amount of pressure on her, maybe different ones to your average joe, but still pressures.

She's not saying it's the same for her.

The idea is that it's OK to be finding this extremely difficult and if we feel like we are failing we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves.

I prefer that to the "Everyone is miserable so shut up and get on with it" attitudes I often see posted here.

@Aquamarine1029

Ffs. She may be privileged, but she's still a human being and the mother of 3 young children. Why can't she express how she feels, too? Honestly, she can't win with some people.

Yep

I dont think she can win.

If she'd said enjoyable she'd have been slaughtered.

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

Ok she has money... but what relevance is that? and the award for the most risible comment goes to...

But why? I know women on mumsnet living in million pound houses asking for help because their mental health just cannot cope. Why is it different!? Just to everyone else; on about NANNIES NANNIES NANNIES it’s been confirmed by the Palacr that any live-in nannies are currently not working unless essential childcare for work. Fed up of a race to the bottom for no reason!

@Livingtothefull Maybe save your criticism for all those 'influencers' who are breaking the law by sunning themselves in UAE, flaunting their bodies and their eyebrows on social media, and giving young girls impossible images to try to emulate, causing a lot of MH.

There are far worse things going on apart from a Mum who happens to be a Royal saying she's finding lockdown tough.

@Fridget

Exactly.

She was asked to write one word to describe her feelings. Should she have written 'privileged', 'inconvenienced'.
The call was about her work in parental loneliness and well being, give her a break. I say that as a single parent who is working full time at home with a 5 year old.

She says she’s exhausted. Why would you doubt that? Why would you sympathise less than with any other mum saying they are exhausted? If she says she is, she probably is

Leave the Duchess alone, op. She's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Personally I think it is good that she is showing understanding about home schooling at this difficult time. Many will be glad of what she said, they'll feel better for knowing that she too finds it hard. So she has help - so what? Are you jealous? Plenty of people have help and plenty don't, that's the way life is.

@itispersonal

What do you want her to say. Tough luck peasants- I have a Norland nanny, chef and a PA.

She would be far better saying nothing.