To say that every child and young person…

[KnowButNeedU2TellMeAsItIs]

That got through the pandemic, followed the rules, stayed indoors for long periods of time, endured isolation, online learning, ping pongs in and out of school, slow vaccination roll-out…

Should get a medal.

Our kids are amazing and gone through so much but not one bit of recognition.

You do realise you're talking about children here right? Children ffs. Some that were murdered in the pandemic. Mollycoddled little darlings indeed.

Whatever your issue is with OP or her (crap) idea or the concept of rewarding kids for what they have been through, the language you use around children, that didn't all had it sunshine and rainbows is disgusting.

Between April and September there were 285 reports by councils of child deaths and incidents of serious harm, which includes child sexual exploitation. This was a rise of more than a quarter on the same period the year before.

Damn snowflakes.

And that's without considering the effect on children in care, children with significant SENDs and illnesses,children with severe mental health issues, children living in poverty, or being carers, or living in chaotic/neglectful/abusive households that were "ok".

You’re right IdontWanna

op a nice sentiment, but I’d choose that we did things differently instead

I agree with you @ldontWanna. Is it really so hard for some people to hide a thread they think is silly or doesn't apply to them? If your teen enjoyed being in front of the TV all day, good for you.

If you spent your days having fun great. Other children had a really hard time and were locked in with their abusers, hidden from everyone. Others struggled mentally with it. Other's educations suffered.

If you can't see beyond your own experiences, don't bother commenting to those leaving rude comments to such an uncontroversial thread.

I don't know about a medal. But I think policy makers definitely need to think more about the impact of the pandemic on kids and address the issues it's created.

Dept of Education seems to have gone back very quickly to a policy of 'let's assess the crap out of every year group', conveniently forgetting the huge gaps in learning.

Funding for CAMHS is ridiculously low.

For those kids who had no gardens and were cooped up in flats etc for 23 hours a day for several months - there must be physical health implications.

Kids social development has almost certainly taken a battering - my son is an only child and spent months without the company of another child. That's not natural and I do wonder about the long term impact on his social development.

There is longer- term fallout from this I do think the Government has basically forgetting about all of it now things have reopened.

I'm actually quite perturbed by the blunt refusal to recognise other people's difficulties that I see across the eight long pages of this thread and also by the blunt refusal to recognise how the stressors of the last couple years have impacted young people in quite particular ways.

I mean, it's not been good for anyone. But is this how we're going to be, when people express how it's been for them? Just say "fuck off, you didn't have it as bad as xyz"?

This thread is so sad. I cannot understand why grown ass adults on this thread are comparing themselves to children. You’re an adult ffs, you have no right to compare yourself to children, none. You have no idea of the long term effects this will have on them.

I agree with you OP. Whilst my children had me at home with them, were delighted with schooling online,, my youngest really struggled going back to school. He still hasn’t really recovered tbh. And I know my children had it easy compared to so many out there.

The thing is, it’s not true to say it’s not been good for anyone.

it’s been great for many people ,including many children. Just yesterday I heard a group of 15 year olds saying how much they wish we could have another lockdown

I certainly hugely preferred lock down living to normal life, although obviously I am sad about the reason it had to happen.

among friends and students, many suffered because of lockdown, many enjoyed it, and many were not particularly bothered either way

12thorns, we have pages of people saying how much they enjoyed lockdown, glibly ignoring all the ones who suffered

Well this thread is fucking depressing

It depends how in depth you’re looking at it @12Thorns .

I accept that some people will have enjoyed an enforced break from obligations and society, I know I would have but I worked outside the house through all the lockdowns. Even so I did see a personal benefit from being forced to stop other obligations. But that doesn’t take into account the disruption to education or economic effects which may not be the first thing a teenager or someone relatively shielded would notice but the effects are there to varying degrees.

What I got from lockdown is that modern society and working cultures are, in many cases, actively harmful and in desperate need of an adjustment of attitude. I see the effects in my own dd and that neither all or nothing is good for her but a balance.

I still don’t think children need putting on a pedestal for living through lockdowns. The ones who might be cheered by it don’t need it and the ones who really suffered are unlikely to be soothed by it - in fact I’d say it’s so far off the mark of what a traumatised child needs it’s offensive. I can’t imagine another scenario you’d congratulate someone for living through a trauma. What they need is stability and those who need it extra support. Not a medal or pat on the back.

Agree with this!

A medal isn't needed but funding into education and mental health support really is.

Home educating for many was abysmal. Not just because very little in the way of work and support was offered, but some parents were still working out the home, with zero childcare available. No time to help kids as they were working. Having to rely on the kids to grow up faster and take responsibility for younger ones. Any other years and I would have been worried that social services would have been at my door for leaving my 14 year old in charge of my 10 year old. But that's what we had to do to keep a roof over our heads.

Being told they were being "granny killers" if they met up with friends, even when it was allowed was of course going to play havoc with their mental well-being. Even more do when it's the governments own message.

It's actually really disheartening reading some of the comments on here, a parenting website, about children.

I think in the years to come we will see the true cost our children will pay for the pandemic.

This thread is so depressing, no
actually it’s sad, bone wearying sad.

The medal is a symbol of recognition for our children and yes I accept
that for most kids that would be naff.

But what I don’t get is all those people on here who are so supposed to recognising our children? What is so WRONG with a symbol, any symbol, about saying to our children and young people ‘we see you’, that what they did was extraordinary, once in 100-years and that this will be generationally impactful. Where have we said collectively - thankyou?

But what I find so sad is how this is even a debate on this freaking platform of all places where you’d think there would be the loudest advocacy?

For all those that are comparing our children’s experiences with Ukraine, or the WW2 generation, or with their own adult experiences - just what? And calling our kids snowflakes? What?

To not recognise, protect and invest in future generations is a terrible indictment of where our priorities are as a country. This country is fucked.

Because our children have not done anything noteworthy or praiseworthy, or made any particular sacrifice for anyone but themselves. That’s the point. There is nothing literally nothing to thank it praise them for. They area very privileged cohort who were mildly inconvenienced for a short time for their own good

Op I hear you. It’s a tough read.

On other threads posters get annoyed when they are told to think of people worse off. But children are to expect the Ukraine / WW2 argument. That’s how low some expectations are. Too depressing, but hopefully not indicative of how everyone feels, bar this thread.

mine don’t need a medal. They would have preferred to go to school and see their friends but then got on with lockdown and have pretty much forgotten about it and picked up where they left off.

Yabu, it goes kids good to be resilient, far too many haven’t been taught this skill. The thanks and rewards should
come from their own parent and families, who would be tasked with giving a medal?

I'll chip in for your kids medal, OP.

Will there be a ceremony?

But what I don’t get is all those people on here who are so supposed to recognising our children? What is so WRONG with a symbol, any symbol, about saying to our children and young people ‘we see you’, that what they did was extraordinary, once in 100-years and that this will be generationally impactful

because it’s a meaningless, empty gesture that doesn’t actually recognise or achieve anything, certainly not the support needed on a societal level for children. At best it’s a soother for adults who feel guilt over the unavoidable and can make themselves feel better.

from the point of view of a child who does need support a ‘we see you’ means absolutely nothing and is of no tangible benefit to them.

By all means give an example of something similar so we can get an idea of what it is you’re trying to communicate because I’m struggling to come up with a comparison to make sense of what you’re advocating.

I recall a similar idea floated in the first lockdown to have a ‘clap’ for school children similar to the NHS one. Never took off afaik, I suspect largely because it just doesn’t make any sense. Either from the child’s pov or the adults.

But what I find so sad is how this is even a debate on this freaking platform of all places where you’d think there would be the loudest advocacy?

A debate means two sides. That’s exactly what you’ve got. I think you wanted a total agreement with you.

Also yabvvvvvvu for the phrase ‘we see you’,

God, yes.

Give your kids a medal if you want, OP.

Going on about how kids should be given a medal when what they, - desperately in some circumstances- need is proper funding seems to be rather overlooking their actual needs in favour of virtue-signalling gestures.

I care about kids so I gave them a medal when many are going hungry or can’t access mental health services or social services or don’t have a qualified teacher and are in a dangerous school building…. Priorities?

Put succinctly - this.

Ridiculous suggestion. The kids had no control about what they ‘sacrificed’, they had to just get on with it! Most people muddled along and made the best of it, people of all ages. Any simpering martyrdom and suggestions of kids having ‘done it all for others’ is what will be leading towards them feeling like they should need a medal rather than just cracking on, and getting back to normal with whatever support they may need- as ever.

There are many, many I feel sorry for from the pandemic but kids as a whole is not it, and a meaningless medal is not the way to offer any recognition.

Children who have suffered don’t need ‘recognition’. That’s what makes the “country fucked”. Those children who suffered need appropriate services and support and the government should be funding it, not giving a medal to every child. Recognition my arse. I’m sure we can do better than that for those who suffered actual trauma or even those who struggled a bit but still are very worthy of decent support. Fund and organise services better rather than a tokenistic virtual signalling piece of crap medial for every Tom, Dick and Harry.