To miss lockdown

[globula]

Just that really.

This is my personal view and experience and I cannot comment on the suffering the COVID situation brought to many people however for me it was great (of course the reason for lockdown wasn't great, JUST THE EXPERIENCE of it).

I have a 0hrs contract with NHS but working on a non COVID ward so was able to pick up full time hrs last year resulting in more income (normally only able to do 2 shifts per week due to lack of childcare) and didn't feel unsafe or uncomfortable if anything it was easier with less patients, no visitors and limited visits from other agencies). DH was off on furlough staying at home, doing diy, garden and helping to homeschool.
I loved having DCs here to homeschool- actually think they learned way more at home than they do at school on regular basis- and overall we had more time to spend as a family and enjoy each other's company as there was no external stress and pressure.

We don't have family around and don't go out very often anyway so I wasn't bothered by places being shut.
I loved the empty streets, buses, trains and supermarkets (maybe I just don't like ppl I don't know).

So overall for me it was brilliant. I realise that I sound extremely selfish and wouldn't say it to anyone in RL however my intention isn't to diminish anyone's hardship just needed to share how I feel.

thepeopleversuswork

I am not trying to do a positivity exercise, I am replying to your posts.

And if you had read MY post, you would see that I hated the lockdown, and I still hate how hard it is to travel and have a life.

I am bored of people complaining constantly about having their kids!

Firstly don't tell me where I can and can't post.
then don't tell the OP what she should or should not post. She is just as allowed to express her views about her own personal lockdown as you are to start a thread about your shitty one.

TheKeatingFive
Your cluelessness is just embarrassing

as you are completely missing the point, you should think twice before posting sentences like this..

I was talking about this with my lockdown buddy the other day. We kept each other company all winter during our thrice-weekly lockdown walks in rain, sleet, snow and shine. We both agreed that the joy we've had from going places, days out, holidays and, most of all, seeing friends and family over the past few months has been without measure.

Anyone who thinks the best life has to offer is a takeaway coffee on a sodden bench as you watch your DC crack ice puddles for the third time that week needs their head examined.

And we were fairly lucky in the last lockdown... economically secure and nurseries stayed open. If you speak to social workers or anyone else working with children, it's clear that lockdown has been an incredibly bleak and harmful time for many.

Thekearingfive thank u

@isthisareverse

Neverrains

you are not special. Most of us had to work and homeschool.
Not all of us want to be a martyr though.

You’re a vile human being. The reason it was so hard was not because I didn’t want my children there, it’s because I knew I was failing them. And fail them I did, because I needed to work. Anyone who responds like you have to someone who admits to finding that really hard is not someone worth my consideration.

I know what the haters are trying to do: start being abusive and insult everyone and try to get this thread deleted.

If it really stings that someone else had a positive lockdown, move on, They are perfectly entitled to post about it, without being called goady and abused.

It wouldn't be so bad if we recognised the positives of the lockdown and work on keeping them.

You would be miffed if someone was calling you "martyr" every time you post a negative about your own lockdown.

as you are completely missing the point

Eh no.

You don’t seem to understand the difference between having your kids around and it being physically impossible to look after toddlers/homeschool small kids and do a demanding job at the same time.

Is it your lack of life experience, comprehension skills, empathy? What do you think?

TheKeatingFive

are you missing the fact that I have kids and had to juggle too?
Your goady posts and attempt to start a bun fight wont' change that

Maybe read my posts...then you can comment on what I am writing.

Maybe read my posts

Take your own advice love

I am bored of people complaining constantly about having their kids!

I have just explained this upthread (as have others). Just for clarity as you seem to be wilfully ignoring this.

No one is complaining about having their kids. What they are complaining about is being forced both to work to the extent that they are unable to support or care for their kids properly and being expected to home school.

I was working for 14 hours a day (no exaggeration), in the next door room to my kid, who was on YouTube most of the day because I was bawled out by my boss for the fact that she was visible. This wasn't my choice, it was what I had to do to keep the lights on. My daughter became mentally very unwell and put on a stone. It was absolutely hideous.

Don't tell me I am complaining about having my kids, I'm complaining about being thrown under a bus for trying to do everything I could to keep my job to support my kid. Because there's no other fucker to do it for me and I need my job.

And so, yes, I get quite upset when people who had a lovely cuddly pastoral time baking cookies and watching clouds go by bang on about how wonderful it was. I don't begrudge them their good fortune I just wish they'd put a fucking sock in it.

If being so angry and bitter makes you feel better about the whole thing, go for it. It doesn't seem to work though

I personally loved it myself (though I wish for everyone else's sake it had never happened, and yes I am sad for the impact on others and worried about the economy etc etc.)

The flip side of enjoying it is that I am having a really, really hard panicky time doing normal things again. I thought it would be fine after the vaccines but it's not. I'm not too sure what to do really. It's like I've developed a million phobias.

It wouldn't be so bad if we recognised the positives of the lockdown and work on keeping them.

But you can keep them. Stockpile toilet roll and tinned goods, tell friends and family you don't want to see them and avoid shops and supermarkets and have everything delivered. Take your kids out of school and home educate while simultaneously doing your job. Avoid cafes, restaurants and busy places.

Lockdown was about not doing things. Anyone who wants to replicate lockdown should be able to do this - just stop doing things. Stop going out, stop having family over, stop going on holidays. Crack on.

Take one day at a time and start slow! And if you can, start with the things you like.

It's always a bit of a shock when the first outing you do is taking a packed commuter train after weeks of isolation.

To be honest OP you have had more shifts at work (and more money) as well as a DH and DC at home. You are in an extremely privileged situation. Not everyone has had jobs surviving over lockdown, or a DH/DC at home, and rely on external things to get them through (seeing extended family, days out with friends, holidays, trips out). I understand what you're saying, but it's definitely coming from a place of privilege

I think it has shown so sharply the absolute inequality that exists in society tbh. It was such an eye opener for me to talk to family who had to endure it in apartments in cities, stuff that was going on around them etc , so many ppl would have been in awful situations..
Lower paid workers having to still go out and work and face the public everyday, the rich protected in their houses with big gardens etc.
The people who I knew enjoyed it are total control freaks anyway (the type that hates their dp doing anything or has banned their inlaws etc) , those paid to do nothing and antisocial type of plp and also as I'm based in Ireland , primary school teachers. Lots of my family are teachers and openly admit it was a giant holiday.. I'm stressing this was in Ireland, our schools were closed longer, no provision for key workers or students with sn. We were sent lists of things to cover so basically the parents covered the curriculum , we had no online lessons or pre-recorded lessons whatsoever. The teachers would click a thumbs up once the work was completed. This was the same in the vast majority of schools in our area, I'm sure some were different but this is our experience. Bizarrely though childcare workers (on lower pay) apparently were more immune to the virus than the teachers here as they still had to work
I am quite introverted but I could clearly see how damaging it was for young children and particularly teenagers. Our dcs are under 10 and they did quite well with homeschooling, I'm self employed so lost my income but thankfully my dh had a good salary and I have returned to working lots again. I can totally understand if your dh was being paid and not working that would have been so nice. My dcs have come out of it absolutely fine but they are hugely sporty and missed all of that but overall we were so lucky, lovely house, garden etc.
I felt massively for single parents, working, homeschooling and I have no idea how they coped with the absolute bs re "vectors" and being banned from shops etc. It was an absolute disgrace.
There is no way I could enjoy it knowing what an absolute shitshow it was for so many and I can still see the usual suspects now (those who were paid to do nothing, those who enjoyed lockdown etc) going on about the schools opening in September and I can feel their, almost excitement at the idea of it all going pear shaped again..
I think there had been some good points but largely negative and I can understand parents who are older etc enjoying pottering around the house but that's not necessarily good for young people.. I have gained so much respect for certain people and sectors and lost a lot for some. It is absolutely not a healthy way to live ; avoiding other humans/ socialising and locking dc away and although it wasn't your intention op , the statement about enjoying it just doesn't it right.

@Goldbar

It wouldn't be so bad if we recognised the positives of the lockdown and work on keeping them.

But you can keep them. Stockpile toilet roll and tinned goods, tell friends and family you don't want to see them and avoid shops and supermarkets and have everything delivered. Take your kids out of school and home educate while simultaneously doing your job. Avoid cafes, restaurants and busy places.

Lockdown was about not doing things. Anyone who wants to replicate lockdown should be able to do this - just stop doing things. Stop going out, stop having family over, stop going on holidays. Crack on.

I meant more like keeping WFH and the structures that have worked.

Some companies are doing just that. Some businesses have found that pre-booking and paying in advance worked better for their needs too.

Less business travel when zoom meetings work just as well.

That sort of things.
I am not in favour of house arrest - even if England was lucky and we never experienced it really. It's childish to pretend everything is bad and we must bin every little detail because we didn't like the background.

It would be as stupid as binning medicine developed during the war because the war is a negative.

I really appreciated lockdown as a chance to calm my life down and take stock a bit. Had a few awful years prior to - lost both parents and big personal changes so it was good to pause a very busy social and work life. It had its own stresses and anxieties but for me thank god they were largely manageable. Not looking forward to imminent back to face to face work and public transport etc.
Support to all for whom lockdown and the aftermath has been nothing but brutal.

I miss it. Living in Snowdonia, its a constant battle. Visitors are unkind, they dont smile (last night i went for a mountain walk, was alone for 3 miles then i saw a couple, said hello and they ignored me. Locals don’t do that. We stop and speak to each other. Miserable fuckers), they leave litter, park anywhere, don’t care about the environment.

Sooner the better they toddle off to Benidorm.

I meant more like keeping WFH and the structures that have worked.

WFH hasn't worked for a lot of businesses. Many are keen to get people back in the office. It has also been a mixed blessing for workers...some have enjoyed it but some (especially those starting out in their careers) have been hugely disadvantaged.

@MrsDThomas

I miss it. Living in Snowdonia, its a constant battle. Visitors are unkind, they dont smile (last night i went for a mountain walk, was alone for 3 miles then i saw a couple, said hello and they ignored me. Locals don’t do that. We stop and speak to each other. Miserable fuckers), they leave litter, park anywhere, don’t care about the environment.

Sooner the better they toddle off to Benidorm.

I hope no one in your area relies on the money made from tourism then.

There is no way I could enjoy it knowing what an absolute shitshow it was for so many
the point is that it makes no difference whatsoever for others if you enjoy it or not.

It makes no difference for the slave labour working on your clothes or your electronic if you use it for fun or to feed your kid. But as the posters are not part of the slave labour, that doesn't count.

It's the hypocrisis and the pretence that some people get to decide who should be positive, and what they are allowed to be positive about, which is ridiculous.

It's the hypocrisis and the pretence that some people get to decide who should be positive, and what they are allowed to be positive about, which is ridiculous

Yet here you are, telling people they should be positive about having their young children at home.