I joined mn maybe a year or so after lockdown I think. Lockdown really made my inner insane suffer as I worried 24/7 about the women and children locked up with their abuser. I was not wrong for that to worry me either. So many children died at hands of their parents. My family are all insane and chaotic and even though I'm well away from most of them, I did have this awful fear that my evil father may murder his partner/the dog or my batshit dm may drink herself to death) so I wasn't as strict when it came to doing things to help anyone vulnerable local to me because I felt pretty helpless.
Both my dp and I at that time were working jobs within the care sector but because I was an agency worker and I had small children I ended up unemployed almost instantly.
Dp had worked a few various places also prior to lockdown but he ended up staying with one place where he still is now. He took that job on as it was walkable from our house and he didn't need to travel but he's loved it so much he's been promoted twice since working there so that's been good. He's looking at doing his management qualification within this next couple of years.
Now, I'll probably be dragged for this but I had 2 elderly neighbours that I simply broke the rules for. I say I brought them in my bubble, but it was rule breaking, yes. One was not only crippilingly lonely but also in the early stages of dementia so I would take my babies to visit her twice a day. I'd make sure she'd eaten and after her evening meal put her in pjs. Tried to help her keep some routine.
And the other elderly neighbour was out of hospital after a knee replacement as well as being terrible on his feet and he was a hoarder of animals, so I'd go visit him solo (no babies this time - he had mice running, not pets, just vermin) and try cleaning up after and feeding his pets, make sure he'd eaten and if he needed help to shower and use the bathroom etc and help him get from sofa to his bed.
Then I'd go get him up early before dp left and he'd just text me if he needed a wee and was stuck.
(He was a horribly cantankerous fucker, deeply unpleasant, ungrateful, demanding, entitled and awful. I miss him dearly 😂)
Both neighbours have gone now, but if either had hurt themselves or died from not eating/a fall I'd have felt guilty forever.
If one had of caught covid from me at least I'd have been able to go check they were still able to use bathrooms and eating and clean etc, it was a horrid judgement call, it really was. Do you leave elderly folks to fend entirely for themselves knowing they absolutely will fail or do you potentially give them an illness that could also kill them? The mental gymnastics to assess what was for the best was awful. Just to clarify though with the lady I didn't wear my mask as it really confused her, I felt awful but she also lip read so the whole thing was a disaster. My neighbour with the animals I was delighted to have an excuse to wear a mask. House stank of animal piss.
Besides that, I was pretty good, I didn't see my friends which really upset me but we spoke constantly.
I also had a call from social services maybe a month into covid asking us to take in an estranged family members little one which we did until his dad was located and took the wee fella. He wasn't with us very long but his dad sends updates and we video call sometimes. He's got a lovely life with his daddy and new mummy, so that was something with a nice outcome. They live in Wales so he's getting the sweetest little accent!
And ironically I only got covid after I had the bloody jab and by then the world was back to normal-ish so my neighbours were already fully vaccinated and their dc were then able to sort out actual carers etc
Lockdown with hindsight was quite eventful 😅
Never again, 0/10 do not recommend.