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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Anyone gained anything good from Covid

147 replies

kylie122 · 05/12/2021 01:11

Just curious as just seen a post which asked the opposite

For me I was lucky to work during lockdown and have saved so much money

Hope this post doesn't offend anyone

OP posts:

Jackthementalkitten · 05/12/2021 01:20

Realised what a nasty person my so called friend was, we are NC now. Sadly took covid to realise that

Kshhuxnxk · 05/12/2021 01:21

As you've read the other post I do find this offensive - people's lives have been devastated and they haven't even had covid!

Grabbobabbo · 05/12/2021 01:26

Yes, seeing how my child thrived at home during school closures meant we pulled him out and now home educate full time.

And my DH works permanently from home now so isn't shattered from the commute.

TurquoiseBaubles · 05/12/2021 01:32

I've reopened a relationship with my siblings that was almost non-existent. During lockdown we had weekly zooms with my parents sharing childhood photographs and memories that we hadn't seen for almost 50 years.

Other than that, not much

Toadsinholes · 05/12/2021 01:36

Nothing other than a few lie-ins! I have hated every single thing about it.

Silverswirl · 05/12/2021 01:40

Yup earned £25k that I wouldn’t have otherwise abs it’s still sitting there .
Rest was shit though. Really shit. Would pay that 25k back in heartbeat just to be 2019 free again

Fupoffyagrasshole · 05/12/2021 01:46

Yeah - saved more, had a baby, bought a house, started a college course.

4plusus · 05/12/2021 01:51

@Kshhuxnxk

As you've read the other post I do find this offensive - people's lives have been devastated and they haven't even had covid!

That's very unfair on the OP I think, some people's lives have been devestated and it's been a shit time for all, same could be said for lots of things, doesn't mean that something good couldn't have come from it however small that may be. For me it seemed like dd4 had a kind of 'reset', never used to talk to people, get involved at school, was very shy and kind of scared but still loved school, just didn't seem to be happy to other people even though we know she was, there was and still is questions about if she is SEN, since the first lockdown finished and she went back to school she has been much happier, chattier and more involved with her school day, still loves school and visibly to everyone that she thrives in school and at home.

HighlandPony · 05/12/2021 02:02

Yes. Loads actually. I really enjoyed the homeschooling. It let us bond in a way that we haven’t before. I wasn’t able to work from home in either of my jobs so that kept going but I was able to take my son with me and a lot of his day was spent doing his schoolwork in the car while I was in clients homes or working at the farm with me earning some pocket money and learning the ropes. It’s been great to see how much he’s come on, how confident and capable he is with the horses in particular but other animals too.

This is going to sound out there and maybe a bit heartless but I don’t mean it that way. We lost my gran to covid in the beginning and though I love her and miss her I’m glad it took her. She had dementia and something wrong (they hadn’t got to the bottom of it before she passed) that caused her to drop to under 6 stone in weight. We were facing the possibility of putting her in a home and she was dead against that. Her opinion on care homes was “its prison without the possibility of parole for no other crime than being too old” and she would loudly tell everyone who brought up the possibility of her going into care. She couldn’t have gone on the way she was. She’d wander in the night looking for her Datsun (she wrote it off in 1988) she’d turn up at the house she was born in looking for her mum who has been dead 20 years. She’d forget to take her pills or she’d take too many because she had a nap and woke up thinking it was the next day so she’d open a new line on the nomad. We’d get phone calls from the wimpy because she’d turned up to collect my auntie who worked there in highschool. My aunties fifty three now. She went fairly quickly and at home in her own bed the way she wanted so for that I’m grateful.

Iwantcollarbones · 05/12/2021 02:03

My dc have autism and I’ve watched them thrive during covid. The reduction in the need for social interaction has benefited them;
It’s like they were made for this.pre covid I applied for a university course. The first year was mainly online. Second year has seen a return to campus and it turns out I learn much more at home when I can pause lectures and read around the subject. My uni had to adapt massively to online learning and it’s so much more accessible.
My GP is also more accessible. You can ‘speak’ with a GP within 24 hours whereas before covid it was a 10-14 day wait, although I know that this isn’t the case with all GP surgeries.
I also appreciate more being able to spend time with people that matter to me.

me4real · 05/12/2021 02:12

I learned to be even less dependent on numbers of friends for my self worth, and to enjoy my own company even more than I already did.

DukeofEarlGrey · 05/12/2021 02:27

I don't think it's in bad taste to ask this. If anything, the devastation that COVID has caused means we should be even more grateful for any positives we are fortunate to have. Personally I've found it very hard from a mental health perspective, but got to know my neighbours better through the lockdowns and repaired a difficult sibling relationship, essentially because support networks became more localised.

CheshireSplat · 05/12/2021 02:39

Many for me. Much more time with my children - still worked 11 hour days but they could pop into see me in my home office vs being out of the house for 13 hours inc. commute. A new love of my own home and community.

Lots of downsides, but that wasn't the question.

newtothis1990 · 05/12/2021 02:40

It brought me and my family closer..Even as things have opened back up, we have kept up with the habits adopted by us during lockdown. Basically seeing each other more and keeping in contact throughout the week

Biscuits1 · 05/12/2021 02:43

Yes my baby. I only did the round of Ivf because of the second lockdown.

Butterfly08 · 05/12/2021 02:51

I had covid quite badly last xmas and it has left me completely ambivalent about booze.
Before I was ill, I could and would drink a couple of bottles of wine a day. Now, almost a year on, I rarely touch the stuff.
DH is over the moon, the house is cleaner, and my DC's are very happy.

SarahBellam · 05/12/2021 05:55

A neighbour set up a WhatsApp group for our street and it has been really helpful and supportive. We’ve all been able to help out if anyone needed something but couldn’t get to the shops, give away unwanted bits of furniture or food, and share recommendations for plumbers/electricians. It has made us much closer as a community.

ZombeaArthur · 05/12/2021 06:07

We spent more time together as a family than we ever thought possible. While there were certainly challenges, on the whole it was wonderful to be together.

We’ve also learned to love our home. For years we’ve been half-heartedly looking for something else but all the time spent at home showed us how important outside space is to us which is the one area our house really shines. We were able to save quite a lot of money too which we’ve been able to put towards some significant home improvements.

HopelesslydevotedtoGu · 05/12/2021 06:11

Yes
Gave me the kick up the bum I needed to lose weight.
Lockdown #1 I realised what we did and didn't miss - we have since made much better life choices knowing what is and isn't important to us.
I now WFH, really like it.
I stretched myself professionally taking on a challenging new role related to the pandemic, I was surprised how rewarding I found it.
We relocated out of a city and are very happy in new area.

jclm · 05/12/2021 06:21

I am allowed to work from home which saves me 2+ hours a day in commuting and around £15+ a day in costs. This means I'm able to see the children when they come home from school and we don't need after school childcare (saving more £££)

garlictwist · 05/12/2021 06:27

I love working from home. Even though my office is only a 15 minute walk from my house, I much prefer the solitude, peace and quiet and flexibility of wfh. I feel it has changed my life so much for the better and I am much happier and have more energy for it. I also like my job a lot more and work harder.

I really don't want to go back to the office.

WorriedMillie · 05/12/2021 06:34

Many of my team work remotely and we started having zoom meetings during lockdown (mostly to communicate changes to work). We’ve carried on the meetings on a regular basis and we definitely feel closer as a team, as a consequence!

I approached some older neighbours at the start of lockdown, did all of their shopping for them throughout the first lockdown and we got to know them well. Now, we keep an eye on their house when they go away and I like to think that if ever they needed anything/had an emergency, they wouldn’t hesitate in knocking on our door. We’d lived here for 15 years prior and had just exchanged “hello” and “nice weather”.

mumofEandE · 05/12/2021 06:39

I, like many others, was made redundant after being furloughed in the first lockdown. This led me to get a job in a school (I figured the chances of being made redundant again were slimmer working in a school).
I am now training to be a teacher (sponsored by the school so no fees) - years after I should have done it - am 50 next year!

Accidentgirlfriend · 05/12/2021 06:41

My Dad caught covid , got pneumonia with it and ended up seriously ill in hospital last new year where they found out he had cancer . He wouldn’t go to the doctors even though he knew something was up as he had been weeing blood for over a year . In the hospital he had no choice but to face up to what he was scared of and it turned out to be . If he hadn’t have caught covid he might not have been here to see this Christmas . He’s cancer free atm after they removed 6cms in April but still having 2.5 years of chemo .
For my family covid saved my Dad’s life .

UnsuitableHat · 05/12/2021 06:47

Do loads more walking now than I used to, and have got to know the local area well. Also I felt a few friendships strengthened.

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