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AIBU?

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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:
MrMrsJones · 05/12/2021 08:37

Got a new job role and now work from home, got a puppy and loving life.

DH also got a WFH job

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/12/2021 08:37

Dd worked far more and harder than had she been at school but was more relaxed and happier. Working at home made her much more self reliant. Dh stayed at home for months, which was nice. Other than that, pretty much all negative.

ElfontheShelfisLookingatYou · 05/12/2021 08:39

Yes, trying to work and literally on every break working with dd, helped me bring her along educationally. She massively benefited from being at home and went back to school being able too read and much more confident.

It gave us a huge break from the in laws for all that time, a break sadly being breached now "they" are double jabbed. That's been one of the huge plusses. Dh was always under such massive pressure to go abroad and visit relatives when he did but not as much as they wanted the pressure was constant.

I enjoyed not having to drive out evry day although generally I do like driving.
Dh now mostly works from home home which has been massively helpful to me as it means he collects the younger more tricky dc from school and I can concentrate on collecting the older one.

Holidaytan · 05/12/2021 08:39

It gave me the push to set up my (very niche, non-pornographic) Only Fans account,
which brings in a nice amount each month. Not a full time wage, but an amount that allows me lots of free time.

silentpool · 05/12/2021 08:39

I've enjoyed working at home. The best thing about Covid is that workplace flexibility is here to stay at my company.

We will be expected in the office as we want but let's see if face time creeps in. I will go for meetings, training, social events etc.

In addition, they are making suburban hub offices available so I will go to one near me, instead of the City.

Aposterhasnoname · 05/12/2021 08:40

@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!
Imagine being so unpleasant that you’re offended to hear some people haven’t had their lives ruined.

For me it’s been neither negative or positive. Not much has changed apart from holidays which aren’t important in the grand scheme.

wasthataburp · 05/12/2021 08:40

We were both lucky to stay in well paid jobs. Also I am lucky in that I can now work from home which with two small children it is much easier to run a house hold and get dinner on the table every night

Gargellen · 05/12/2021 08:42

Yes, I am pursuing a law suit. Without delays with Covid I would be too late to file my claim.

ChristmasFluff · 05/12/2021 08:43

Covid was the final straw needed to make me leave my underpaid and overworked job in healthcare - I had only ever stayed because I loved it, and covid meant I stopped loving it.

I'm now paid more per hour for twice the hours, but I work from home and I have no stress whatsoever. So it feels like less work, not more.

EventOfTheSeason · 05/12/2021 08:44

The repeated furlough gave us the final push to form a plan and for my husband to apply for jobs out of area. We have now bought our first house and moved somewhere much nicer.

Holidaytan · 05/12/2021 08:44

@Kshhuxnxk you don’t have the monopoly on how people are allowed to feel about a certain event.
Yes, it’s been massively negative for a lot of people, but some good always comes from bad, that’s life. And humans always adapt and can gain in all situations.

Why would you not want another family to feel they have gained from spending more time together/adjusting working hours/having more time to focus on their personal well-being?

FluffyCushion123 · 05/12/2021 08:44

My two DC got excellent GCSE and A level exam results which they simply wouldn’t have got, due to traumatic family event just before exam season. Teachers were able to use TAGs to give them what reflected their ability.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 05/12/2021 08:45

@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!
This is the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and going 'LA LA LA' when you dont want to hear anyone elses opinion because its different to yours.

In an adult world, we recognise peoples different experiences and POV. Come on over and join us.

TempsPerdu · 05/12/2021 08:47

Well as a family we’ve been relatively fortunate compared to many and have actually done pretty well financially out of the pandemic. But I don’t count that as a win because I’ve found everything else about the past two years utterly miserable. I’d willingly hand back the extra money if it meant I could regain my sense of optimism and trust in state institutions and wider society, and DD and her cohort could have a more normal early childhood.

bert3400 · 05/12/2021 08:48

Spending time with my family, we've always got on but lockdown really made me appreciate how fantastic my kids are. The resilience and humour they have shown has been amazing. My eldest (19) lost a big opportunity in the US, at the start of lockdown 1 and it could of sent him in to a cycle of depression but he was amazing. My youngest started a new school abroad and is thriving. I miss the ease of travel but have loved the time with my kids

TrickyD · 05/12/2021 08:49

Last Christmas was the best ever for us!
We were expecting DS1, his DP and our DGS to come for a few days. Then Johnson made his ‘cancel the three days’ announcement. I immediately rang DS, they all piled into their car with presents etc and arrived here late but relieved.
It was fabulous having them for an extended period. They are so nice to have around but we are blessed with a wonderful DIL.

Youkilledmyfatherpreparetodie · 05/12/2021 08:49

Urgh, it was awful, but we got lots of work done to the house, helped out some neighbours we we didn't know very well before and spent lots of family time together.

A wider positive for me professionally was the "Everyone In" directive from the government which meant that all rough sleepers were housed. It meant that people without access to public funds could come inside and the outcomes have been amazing.

CouldThisReallyBe · 05/12/2021 08:52

A new best friend who I met online during (and due to) lockdown.

icedcoffees · 05/12/2021 08:53

Yes.

My business boomed.
We finally got a load of house renovations and work done as we had the time to do it.
We managed to save loads of money.

We're very lucky that Covid doesn't really seem to have impacted us at all. I only know one person who was hospitalised with it and a handful of people who needed to isolate.

I guess that's the advantage of living in a pretty isolated community, though.

notacooldad · 05/12/2021 08:55

Like quite a few other people I had a reasonably ok time. All my family ( me, dh, and sons plus their gf's) carried on working full time. None of us are NHS so not in dealing with covid cases.
I saved like mad and managed to save £1000's.
I got as much overtime as I wanted.
I live right next to the countryside so was able to get decent walks and runs in.on paths that loop past my house.
I lost my FOMO and enjoyed a slower pace of life.
I was still able to see my friends because one is in the same team as me and a couple of others work in the same department so that was good.

mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 05/12/2021 08:56

I used to have this niggling doubt about whether I had chosen the right career. Covid, and having to teach from home, showed me that I definitely have. I missed teaching SO much. So I feel more grounded at work now.

It has made me closer to a few friends - I had some amazing walks in our beautiful area most days with local friends (one at a time!) over lockdown.

I liked doing baking maths with my youngest every Friday in the first lockdown, and just generally having more time with the kids.

Overall it was not a good experience but there were certainly high points.

HairyToity · 05/12/2021 08:57

I now work from home 2 out of 3 days. I enjoyed lockdown and homeschooling for a while (had enough by the end). My daughters reading improved. I wouldn't like to go back to lockdown, but it wasn't horrendous.

Getthefireon · 05/12/2021 08:58

I have long covid and back in April-July 2020 I was very ill, but was at home full time alone with my then 1.5 year old. I felt so awful as I could barely do anything with her. I just used to lie on the sofa and she’d bring me books to read to her. We read for most of the dat for those few months, her vocabulary improved massively and she was speaking way above her age. She’s almost 3.5 now and has started reading books herself.
That’s the only thing I can think of, everything else has been horrendous, my body feels changed forever and I’d do anything to go back to the life I had pre covid.

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 05/12/2021 09:00

My DS's studies abroad were interrupted so he was back home learning lots of practical skills from his DDad.

I think this is what it would have been like in the old days - everyone quite nearby and hand skills being passed from one generation to the next.

Sickoffamilydrama · 05/12/2021 09:01

My 100 year old family manufacturing business would have collapsed if it wasn't for Covid. We were the best in the industry but as the team got older had become stagnant, I took over a few months before Covid hit.

Covid has given us a buffer and time to develop new products and learn whole new ways of working. Whilst it's been massively stressful it has actually given us a chance to be the best in our industry again.