Half term anxiety

[mrsminiegg]

It feels like Xmas hols all over again. Will they, won't they go back? Why the hell couldn't they tell us before the break? Hard to concentrate on anything in this hell like limbo. Let alone enjoy a so called break. All comes down to the fact the people making the Comms decisions are MEN who are not the ones doing the day to day wrangling of kids and losing their minds slowly... AIBU to think they could have offered parents some more reassurance before half term? My nerves are in shreds.

OP I hear you.
The biggest impact throughout all this is on women / mothers.

Let’s not pretend otherwise.

The 8th of March has already been decided though.
I'm not sure why you're angry about this.

I really get it OP. And I completely agree that there is a lack of women in key cabinet positions making these decisions. For example the Covid - o committee has not a single woman on it.

The people in central govt are also generally wealthy and therefore will be using nannies and live in help. That awful covid poster depicting women doing house work, childcare, home schooling etc really reflected how women are viewed by this govt. I also think the communications are unnecessarily poor. They seem to be so terrified of u-turning again that they are deliberately NOT communicating or over emphasising how long lock down will have to go on so that they have a better story to tell when cases drop.

But if you read the papers, most experts and govt sources are seemingly confident about 8 March for schools. Just hold
tight.

I don’t get why the leader being a man has anything to do with it. Do you think a woman PM would risk the health service and peoples lives and ignore the scientists?

Given women hold all the cards when it comes to deciding to have a child, it’s strange so many are complaining about actually having to parent.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss if you cannot understand how lack of representation leads to policy making that disadvantages those who are not represented then I really pity your ignorance. Just look at any recent research on how pandemic policymaking has impacted women. This is nothing to do with not wanting to parent your children. It's about the unfair and unequal burden placed on mothers. Educate yourself.

@1Morewineplease

The 8th of March has already been decided though. I'm not sure why you're angry about this.

Um, no it's not.

It's been decided that it won't be BEFORE 8th March. So could be after that. And media keeps pointing out that language has shifted from a roadmap out of lockdown being announced ON 22nd Feb to the week of 22nd Feb, which could push it back further. So I can see why op is stressing about not knowing for certain- but equally, noone does. Not even the government. As they've said all along, it depends on a lot of things going right.

I actually don't think they will delay reopening of schools - not primary at any rate. If they do, not by more than a week. I think they are hedging their bets and waiting on date with regard to whether it will be all back for primary, or some year groups. I don't think secondaries will be fully back until after Easter, possibly not any year groups in secondary until then.

But literally noone knows!

@pootleplumtrinket

I really get it OP. And I completely agree that there is a lack of women in key cabinet positions making these decisions. For example the Covid - o committee has not a single woman on it.

The people in central govt are also generally wealthy and therefore will be using nannies and live in help. That awful covid poster depicting women doing house work, childcare, home schooling etc really reflected how women are viewed by this govt. I also think the communications are unnecessarily poor. They seem to be so terrified of u-turning again that they are deliberately NOT communicating or over emphasising how long lock down will have to go on so that they have a better story to tell when cases drop.

But if you read the papers, most experts and govt sources are seemingly confident about 8 March for schools. Just hold
tight.

This exactly. I'm sure you're right and 8th feels more certain than before, but let's face it - their decision making and Comms have been a shit show until now so I don't feel confident at all. I think despite bluster about roadmap on 22nd we should have had more reassurance earlier - ie this past week. They are patently gojng to hit target early today - which was the key criteria - so that information is there. The goalposts keep changing and the lack of certainty is crippling people's mental health. Adult and child.

Yabvu. It's obvious they wont be back after this week off.

I really don’t get this. How do you expect them to make decisions when they can’t foresee the future. If they decide too early & change they’re accused of U turning. I am absolutely no fan of the government but this is far from a usual or predictable situation.

There's no will they/won't they for half term (in England)

They're not going back after.

@1Morewineplease

The 8th of March has already been decided though. I'm not sure why you're angry about this.

No it hasn't.

@Saltycinnamon

I really don’t get this. How do you expect them to make decisions when they can’t foresee the future. If they decide too early & change they’re accused of U turning. I am absolutely no fan of the government but this is far from a usual or predictable situation.

I do see what you are saying. But, if you are really thinking about how different groups will be impacted you can mitigate some of the uncertainty and negative impact. For example, paying slightly higher furlough for working parents and asking employees to guarantee jobs post crisis (would help women stay in workforce). Or take the playgrounds row. Could've said from the start, we will keep playgrounds open for all children and will do regular disinfection and provide sanitiser stations. And those are just a couple of suggestions.

While I completely understand how shit it all feels, I think yabu to think they should be giving us more information about schools right now.

We already know that the earliest that any year groups will go back is the 8th March, so we at least know something about schools and children. Other industries and areas of life have it much worse. We have no idea when it will even be legal for us to leave the country, some businesses have no idea when they will be allowed to operate again. University students have no idea when it will be legal for them to go back to live in the accommodation they are paying for or receive the expensive higher education they are paying for. Those things are equally as important as schools but even less has been said about them.

People concerned about when schools will open have been given much more reassurance than people concerned about the other things.

*I'm telling you if it was a woman in charge we would know by now rather than this endless lack of proper planning and will they won't they communication"
What a despairingly thing to say.

Nothing has been official because we are still waiting to ascertain the situation in terms of hospital pressure and positive impact of the vaccination programme and this can change on a daily basis. Do you really want a date to be agreed without better reassurance that we won't be back to where we've been?

6ou clearly have no clue as to the nightmare this has been for hospitals, staff having to be redeployed to covid areas and having to push back appointments and surgeries, increasing the waiting list even more than what it was. Staff who are worn out, stressed with the changes and coping with the trauma they have witnessed.

And you talk about your anxiety because you don't know when your kids will be back at school yet?

@Saltycinnamon

I really don’t get this. How do you expect them to make decisions when they can’t foresee the future. If they decide too early & change they’re accused of U turning. I am absolutely no fan of the government but this is far from a usual or predictable situation.

Exactly. They need the full facts as communities need to be protected and mitigation’s need to be looked at just like in all other workplaces.

Many don’t want a rushed decision and having to send their children back when it’s not safe just because others want schools open regardless.

@mrsminiegg,

It is you who are being condescending.

You are having a tough time and are just throwing shit and hoping it will stick.

It is not men’s fault that a virus and, more importantly, human behaviour is unpredictable, if people go wild over half term, schools can’t reopen on the 8th. If everyone carries on pretty much sticking to the rules, they probably can.

And, as for your sexist comment, have a look at Germany. I am a great admirer of Angela Merkel, and think she has handled Corona well. However, she has been forced into many last minute decisions and offers no more certainty than BJ.

And infections seem to me to be halving every three weeks, not weekly.

Scotland have had lockdowns too and had to change dates etc

I get the frustration OP but really I would prefer that they opened up slowly and cautiously and actually got it right this time rather than making promises that are unrealistic and unsafe just to appease the media and the anti lockdown brigade in their own party. Look at the damage'Boris Saves Christmas' has caused.