to think uk children in general did not have a bad experience during the pandemic

[orangeleavesinautumn]

Just read yet another post when inappropriate behaviour in a teen is put down to delayed trauma from covid times.

Having worked as a teacher in many countries, I can tell you that the conditions we called "lock down" are normal life for many of the world's children, and our children are incredibly privileged compared to most.

They didn't really suffer, they just had a slightly less ultra-privileged life for a short time. They were not more isolated and deprived than "normal" they were less isolated and deprived than normal, in a world wide sense - they were just more isolated and deprived than we have come to expect in our wealthy world.

Some may have been afraid, or bereaved, but most were not, and many enjoyed themselves enormously, more children I know preferred lock down to normal school, than preferred normal school to lockdown - and I have asked literally hundreds of children!

Can we stop telling them they are disadvantaged and traumatised now please!

Well perhaps the ones you are asking ARE the ones who had an easy ride. How are you selecting them?

Yanbu but are going to get slaughtered by the But Covid Brigade.

I'm not sure what you hope to achieve with thus post?

OK thanks for your valuable insights. Double thumbs-up.

Its unfair to compare to others rather than compare pre-covid to covid conditions. Yes, in comparison to other countries it may not seem like a terrible deal but their lives and routines changed overnight and that's going to have an impact.

They were refused a proper education for much longer than many other countries kids. They also were banned of meeting their friends during lockdown

they were forced to be scared of catching the virus at school and then meeting the nanny and killing her.
so yes , many have suffered loads and still are struggling post covid. Many of us are still going through the isolation lockdown made us feel

Compared to the little kids who were taken from the parents or the countries were Lockdown included locking people in their homes... perhaps not.

But British children had very different experiences.

I did not select them, I just asked the first 30-40 or so classes in front of me after returning from lockdown

Yeah tbh all the ones in my family seem to have survived unscathed including the ones who lost a grandparent.

Mine certainly weren't that fussed. Eldest was bored but he's bloody always bored.

Amen!

www.aep.org.uk/system/files/2022-02/Pupil%20views%20on%20their%20education%20in%20the%20context%20of%20COVID-19%20pandemic_July2020.pdf

I mean I get what you're saying but it's like telling someone 'There are people starving in Africa' when they don't want to eat their dinner.

What goes on in other countries, doesn't affect them does it?

If they had a bad experience, it was their bad experience to have.

You could say the same for most things but it would be misrepresentative of the reality of mental health which is a personal, relative experience.

Of course people around the world have it worse than us in terms of access to education, safety, food etc. the average here is of course far better than the average in many other countries. And probably the experience of poverty here is comparatively “better” than many other countries. But children still go hungry, are still cold, abused and worse. It’s still horrid, it’s still beyond unacceptable z No child should suffer mental health or any other issue like above. All children suffered some how, with some losses, in Covid. Just because someone somewheee in the world has it worse than them doesn’t negate their experience. It’s not very helpful telling a clinically depressed person to pull themselves together and be grateful for the house, food and water they have.

Basically the summery is some had an ok time but a small few had a truly horrific time. So if you're a teacher know that there will be a few v traumatized kids, no way of knowing who so just be kind to them all

But they get hugely more education than most children in the world, and hugely more socialising too, many children the world over get less education and less socialising now than out children did during lockdown.

For example I've worked in schools where children live their whole child hoods in what we would term "lockdown" and it is considered normal life, leaving the premises once a month at most, and then only for a hour or two. Nothing unusual about that.

In eastern Europe, in Africa, in India, in Malaysia, in rural China I have seen communities more restricted than what we would consider "lock down" - but it is just considered normal life, no one is traumatised or feels deprived.

It is just that we are used to such great freedom and privilege.

Also they are hundreds of times safer than many of the worlds children, and have far less to fear.

You can't compare apples and oranges can you.

So if you asked a room of 30 adults a simple question how many would be confident to open up and answer it. You really expect the ones who saw abuse or experienced neglect to put their hand up? It was a lovely time for the ones with parents who had time to spend for the ones kept quiet by devices while parents worked or worried about finances it was shit but they won't be telling you or their class.

And my dad's bigger than your dad 🙄

You're not coming across as very bright here OP.

And you're being incredibly dismissive of what some children went through, by comparing them to kids in other countries they've never even been to.

What's your agenda here?

I probably will! I have seen how many people genuinely believe we went though a terrible, traumatic thing in lockdown - but they are largely people who don't really understand how privileged we are as a society and feel hard done by in general,

Of course some terrible things happened during covid - that was the disease itself, not the measures taken to control it

My teens loved lockdowns. No pressure to do anything and all online with friends. They particularly liked the second lockdown as they had online lessons so more normal structure to their days and more contact with classmates so not just the usual friendship circle. I had to work throughout so we kept to regular routines to some extent, eg regular bedtimes, so they didn't go nocturnal like so many teens I know did.
From my experience it was the ones who threw all routine out of the window that were the ones who struggled the most with the return to normal life.

some impact, yes, but it really want the terrible trauma and deprivation it keeps being referred to as. It was more an annoyance in inconvenience in general.

You're so wrong. I can't even begin to explain why. Loads of mental health issues as a result of lockdown I know of and have been impacted by.
Just because other places have it worse doesn't mean we should be grateful.
Women in some countries aren't allowed out without a male relative, they can't drive - it's like saying we shouldn't be cross about the gender pay gap because other women in other countries have it worse.

You can only speak for the children in front of you.
Not every experience is going to be the same, I wonder how many children missed out on food because they weren’t getting free school meals, how many were subject to abuse and neglect and slipped under the radar, how many were disadvantaged and fell behind and never quite recovered.

the demographic of one school is not reflective of the entire country. My 7 year old is just catching up on areas of life that she missed out on

yes, a small number did have a genuinely terrible time, hence my heading includes the words "IN GENERAL"