She doesn’t want to touch the ball-y’know, because of covid

[Thecarobsarefalling]

We were at the beach last night with toddler Dd, she was happily running around the beach and fairly nearby was a family with two girls, maybe 8/9 years old.
Dd ran near to them (does this fairly frequently) to say hello/wanting to play. The older girl looked almost scared and backed away and said ‘I can’t’ we called Dd away as it felt like an awkward situation. The mum then cheerfully called to me that she probably didn’t want to touch the beach ball, because of covid. She then told her daughter she’d done the right thing. They left, saying a cheery goodbye and for us to enjoy our evening.
Aibu just to find this so very sad.

I'm flabbergasted that people ever washed any shopping. What a ridiculous waste of time

Just finished watching Ambulance on BBC1 filmed re. Covid. Not a pretty w at ch. We all should be thankful to the 2 women who created the vacinne.vacinne.vacinne.. They are the heros.having worked around the clock, normal women with family of their own.

Yes it's sad. Pps saying you don't know their medical background, ffs no-one was acting like this during SARs 1 or every flu season.
It's not just sad OP it's fucking criminal. The behavioural psychologists have done a proper number on so many folk, it's disgusting and disturbing.

She could have a medical issue or someone in her family could be immuno compromised. She could have ocd, germ phobic, autistic. She could have had covid and not want it again or lost a family member to it... You just don't know.

Having had it myself and been really poorly for over a year because of it, I can understand why!

It is sad but she isn't the only one to be like that. We are still very much in the middle of a pandemic. The government didn't relax rules because its over, they just gave up protecting people to get the money rolling in again.

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop

I'm flabbergasted that people ever washed any shopping. What a ridiculous waste of time

Yes, madness.

[quote Doodlebug71]@dementedpixie. Neighbours are ICU staff. They told me the age groups of CV patients in their unit, and what the main vectors are and have been. Touch is one of them, which is why they're all continuing their covid stance (masking, cleaning and so on), even if much of MN appears to have decided that it's all nonsense.[/quote]
Don't just believe everything your neighbours tell
you, it's not always correct.

Do your own research.

OP, I also think it's sad. Assuming it was really Covid related.

No, it's not sad. The pandemic is sad, sure. But the girl is being really responsible and I'd imagine there is a reason for that. A health condition that puts her or her family member at risk, for example. Her mum sounds like she was really friendly to you, I'm not sure why you're being a bit... Snide about the situation?

@BeardyButton

www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/13/us/dallas-county-no-pediatric-icu-beds-left/index.html

Some US states seeing Paediatric ICU s filling up. God knows where we ll be in September when schools open. Letting it rip mentality among children will harm some children. But ya! Let’s judge the parents who try to keep their kids safe!

Just how many of the kids in ICUs caught it from a beach ball? They're exponentially more at risk from the flight than from a bloody beach ball.

@Clusterfckintolerant

It's sad that after more than a year into this situation, you don't appreciate that some are more vulnerable than others.

Why are people so unable to grasp that you can simultaneously understand people's logic and reasoning for not wanting contact with others; whilst also finding it sad that anyone has to think of doing such things. It is possible for a person's brain to simultaneously process both the logic on a cognitive level and the feeling of sadness on an emotional level. Which is what I took from the OP.

For example, I can simultaneously understand that a child might have a condition that makes them clinically vulnerable to covid, therefore avoids contact with another child; whilst also reflecting on how different this is to how life used to be for children, and thus feeling sad that they even have to think about these things now and can't just play as carefree children.

@BogRollBOGOF

It's very sad that children have been indoctrinated to fear normal interactions and it will have a long term cost in society.

The chances of catching Covid from touching a beach ball are so low as to be negligable.

Exactly this . I’m glad to see a common sense response on here . It’s so sad to see children filled with that much anxiety that they are afraid to play with other children.

BeardyButton
www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/13/us/dallas-county-no-pediatric-icu-beds-left/index.html

Some US states seeing Paediatric ICU s filling up. God knows where we ll be in September when schools open. Letting it rip mentality among children will harm some children. But ya! Let’s judge the parents who try to keep their kids safe!

Have you actually read the article? The issue isn’t about lots of kids being in ICU with covid, the problem is the hospital being short staffed because of doctors/nurses with covid/isolating and so not being able to open up the same number of beds to cope with the normal level of paediatric ICU patients. Stop fearmongering. Children are at very very low risk from covid.

Yes, it's sad and I think the mental health implications on children are and will be massive and something that we haven't given enough consideration as a society. For some young kids, all they know is Covid measures and that in itself is incredibly sad. I think for all the people saying x, y and z regarding the reasons, most of those reasons probably aren't plausible, as they wouldn't have travelled abroad if there was a genuine concern re health, immune system etc. Why on earth would you sit on a plane with x amount of other people, touch x amount of things that you inevitably do on a daily basis in a tourist area, which have been touched by x amount of people etc, etc?

Most things that Boris Johnson does are completely baffling to be fair 😂

@ElizaDoolots

BeardyButton www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/13/us/dallas-county-no-pediatric-icu-beds-left/index.html

Some US states seeing Paediatric ICU s filling up. God knows where we ll be in September when schools open. Letting it rip mentality among children will harm some children. But ya! Let’s judge the parents who try to keep their kids safe!

Have you actually read the article? The issue isn’t about lots of kids being in ICU with covid, the problem is the hospital being short staffed because of doctors/nurses with covid/isolating and so not being able to open up the same number of beds to cope with the normal level of paediatric ICU patients. Stop fearmongering. Children are at very very low risk from covid.

Thank you for your common sense response ElizaDoolots . I was just going to raise the same thing after actually reading the article . A prime example of how media hype and sensationalising headlines have the desired effect.

It is really sad, but as a mother with an 8 year old son who has experienced awful anxiety during covid to the point where he wouldn’t enter a shop or go anywhere I can sympathise with the family. My husband and I have been quite chilled although sensible about the pandemic and so our behaviour hasn’t had an adverse impact on him but the fact that it was always on the news, always talked about in school etc has really affected him. And seeing your fun loving carefree child go from that to a nervous wreak is heartbreaking!

It’s absolutely nuts, is covid passed between people by touching a ball or is it airborne transmission ffs. The ignorance and propaganda around covid is shocking,

It's not a tragically sad tale. People are navigating this situation best way they can and have different ways to handle it. You'll never know their background.
Her family took her to the beach for a nice day, some normality. Not keeping her locked up petrified to breathe in air. It doesn't indicate a terrible sadness. She didnt want to touch the ball because of covid 🤷‍♀️. She's still out, doing something fun in a nice place. The mum was very pleasant and explained the child's fear to a complete stranger when she didn't need to. The fear could've been anything, she got hit with a ball, a ball burst and she's scared of the noise. It happened to be covid. So what. They don't sound like they need pity.
There are a lot of sad situations involving children, this isn't one of them.

A year ago we didn't wear masks because it was advised that airborne particles were so low risk, but we were told we ought to sanitise and wash hands regulary because it was generally transmitted by touch. A year on and it's less likely transmitted by touch, and more likely transmitted through the air.

I am sure in another year scientists will know more and we will have another set of ideas. No one knows exactly how it's transmitted, so quoting facts about how it's transmitted is futile...Let everyone be as careful as they wish without judgement.

Yes, it is sad that covid exists, it is also sad that people can't let people lead their lives as they see fit...the kids were happily playing on a beach and didn't want to play catch with another child, for whatever reason...they were hardly wearing bubble suits in an air tight room...

Stte after pg 4. I find the responses odd. Everyone is theorising and assuming what’s happening with the girl and her family. I’m reality no one really knows.

I have a 5 and 7 yr old. If a toddler comes up to rh they’ll just watch the toddler. If the toddler starts getting close they start walking backwards to get away 😁 I haven’t taught them to do that but they do it anyway.

The girl may have been scared of your toddler, Covid or maybe scared of talking to strangers, who knows.

As for touching the beach ball, I’d tell my kids not to touch other people’s stuff pre-Covid - some people are ok with it but others may not be - so maybe the girl has picked up on that

Or it could have been the parents putting the fear of God in her or maybe repeated lockdowns, school precautions, her own anxieties, who knows?

The mum may have been telling the truth, or lying to save embarrassing her daughter or may have been guessing at why her daughter didn’t touch the ball.

Sounds like whatever it was, her mum reassured her so she’ll be fine. The whole Covid situation for kids is really sad but I’d put the school disruption and disruption to their lives from Covid is really sad. Any mental anxieties around Covid is sad. Not wanting to touch a beach ball from a toddler because of Covid, whether or not you can catch Covid from a beach ball, to me is neither here nor there. I doubt it will scar either your toddler or the girl.