How are your kids coping?

[WtfIsThisEven]

15yo girl: bit grumpy she can’t see her friends, but otherwise sitting in a dark stinky room for weeks on end on her phone is pretty much her usual pastime. 😬 Thinks she’s on holiday. Slept in this morning and forgot to sign in for her online schooling. 🙄

10yo boy: going round the twist. Has way too much unburned energy. Spends hours in the garden bouncing his basketball which must be driving the neighbours batty. So bored he volunteered to clean the house. 😳

Yours?

Teenage boy struggling a bit. Highers have been cancelled so not sure what grades he’s going to get.
Normally out on his bike a lot.
Has clashed with DH who feels he should be “doing something”. Tonight’s exchange ended up with tears.
He’s pulled a couple all-nighters on the Xbox. Looks pale.
Probably feels like he has no control over anything right now...

I got Disney+ so mine think this is the best 'holiday' ever

9 year old DD misses her friends but is otherwise coping ok, kept busy most of the day with distance learning and we put the trampoline back up early this year so that's making outside time less miserable to her.

Toddler DS is fine, probably misses going shopping because he loves going shopping but is otherwise ok. I'm sad he's missing out on toddler group and gymnastics for the socialisation aspect but he's only 2, it's not a big deal that he misses out for a few months.

Toddler DD is off the wall with her behaviour; she can’t understand what is going on but is picking up on the anxiety in our home despite my best efforts and misses her normal activities. There’s a lot of playing pretend doctors too which is new for her and quite interesting of what she’s picked up from us talking and the tv.

Mine are 14, 16, and 18 and all are okay so far doing online schooling. We are isolating because I had some extremely mild symptoms last week which were probably not the virus but how is anyone to know and the fear of infecting other people is awful.

The 16 year old has OCD and never goes out anyway at the weekends. I think the other two will eventually miss seeing their friends sometimes, but they are okay for now.

When we have finished isolating I think the youngest will come for daily walks with me but the other two won’t and I am worried they will waste away. We do have a garden though and a ping pong table so hopefully that will tempt them outside.

sitting in a dark stinky room for weeks on end on her phone is pretty much her usual pastime ha ha yes. My Dad (lives in Italy ) asked after my kids and then said he supposed not much has changed for them as they are normally in “lockdown” in any case .

As far as communicating with friends is concerned that generation is probably the one most used to FaceTiming etc so maybe they will be ok for a while but of course there is nothing like actually meeting up with another human or humans and spending time together.

Teenage DD struggling, better in the week as she has pretty much a full timetable online but she is incredibly social and is always out with her friends.

Younger DD is fine she just gets on with things however they are both having real problems getting to sleep at night as they are just not tired.

My 6 year old has been enjoying playing with Lego for weeks now. Yesterday I noticed he was very chatty. I think he's missing socialising so I need to make sure we have lots of chats as it must be very lonely for him. Me and dh working from home so during the day we don't have the time to chat with him much. I need to look into ways of getting him to socialise. Maybe some video calls with his cousins or family or something.

We have a 2 year old too and she is fine. Apart from asking to go park and on swings which we can't do :(

Mine are 9 and 7 and coping really well, in fact I think they’re loving it.

They’re busy 8.30-3 with online school, then we go out for a walk together, they have loads of breaks where they play on the trampoline and play soccer.

Missing their friends but they do Zoom meet ups and the main thing they are missing is tennis as both play 4 times a week normally.

I’m enjoying the lie ins and lack of rushing about the place. Could do with some peace and quiet but being a bit older, when I say I’m having a tea and I don’t want to be disturbed they don’t, unless someone is bleeding.

If they were younger they would be climbing the walls but we have a big back garden and they can go out on bikes as well together down to the end of the road which is about 5k.

DD6 is pretty content mostly. She's a home bod though. Daily opportunity to Houseparty with her friends, she's doing a read aloud story video exchange with my aunt every day and I've done her a timetable for the week with Joe Wickes, a walk and some basic maths, reading, writing and educational games like Wordsearches and quizzes.

Trampoline is on its way too which she's excited about.

I'm very worried about her losing her confidence socially when we start up parties etc again though. She's already very clingy with me.

My three year old is usually emotional, violent, volatile, destructive and unhappy. We have been home for 2.5 weeks and he's happy, engaging and relaxed. He's no longer violent and no longer purposefully urinates. It's actually really lovely.

My two year old isn't sleeping well but is otherwise oblivious. He is into a lot more mischief now though

9yr old ds here.
Not much from school..... nothing online.
Trampoline constantly and loads of board games.
His friend's birthday is today, last night they had a video call for absolutely ages which made me realize he needed more contact with his peers (siblings are grown up) so he had a few more video calls......he says it's weird 😷

8yo DD no problems. Very crafty and likes to be outside but manages in the garden. 11yo DD struggling with leaving year six and all the plans they had. Copes most of the tome but occasional crying.

5 year old is fairly happy still. Questions are now arriving. She has been told the world is being cleaned of germs so everywhere is shut. I think now she's expecting the germs to be gone. It's a long time for a 5 year old. She keeps talking about school. I wish I could answer her questions and prepare her. I feel bad saying no everytime she wants to do something normal! I am worried how it affects her.

2 year olds bored. He cries quite alot. We used to go to the park and walk with other kids on the school runs.

they are both having real problems getting to sleep at night as they are just not tired.

DD is really struggling with sleep too. She has issues with sleep at the best of times but now she's rarely asleep before midnight despite melatonin.

15 year old DS pretty much been sat in a darkened room for a week now. When I walk in I have to speak to the other 5 constant FT companions too! Has done homework but yesterday slept until lunchtime. Comes down for meals. Occasionally showers. I don't see any change.. it's just like a school holiday for him but with added homework.

11 year old DS, only child, was quite enjoying it until we've had to self isolate. Like Helpmechangemymindsetplease, mild symptoms, probably not CV but not risking being a spreader. He's finding it staying indoors. We live in a flat and people we share the garden with include a family with a toddler and baby and we can see from the window the garden has been a lifesaver for the toddler in particular.

School set some learning activities every day, DS is remarkably willing to settle down to them. We've managed to do some much needed work on his handwriting and spelling and he has gone along with that too.

We have used WhatsApp video for him to have a couple of virtual meet ups with friends and it was great to hear him giggling away and shrieking, somehow playing tig and laser tag over the phone.

17 year old DS here: not too bad during the week when online lessons keep him busy but he is struggling a bit - missing friends, missing his girlfriend, sad about all the many plans he had for this year that have now been written off. Obviously everything he should be doing - his driving lessons, university open days, etc - all postponed indefinitely. He absolutely understands the gravity of the situation but is also a young human who is sad that this is forever going to be what defines his sixth form life - as a late bloomer socially, he had just begun to really find his feet and gain some confidence and now this. I think keeping his spirits buoyant is going to be hard over the next few months.

DD5 is very sociable usually and she’s starting to struggle now with missing her friends and school
I’ve got a few days off work coming up - been asked to consider cancelling it(nhs) but she needs me at home for a bit I feel - so will try to make it as fun as I can for her

My 7yr old dd is fine. She puts those hideous children's false nails on and perfume for home school, together with clip on earrings

My 11 yo dd is struggling to get to sleep. The changing of the clocks hasn’t helped. She is doing really well with her school work and is conscientious. But there is far too much from some teachers. Science in particular would be the level I’d expect in yr10. A supposed one hour lesson takes at least 2. Having seen how much they learn in class, I can confirm it would take probably more time than this to teach. The teacher basically told the class they were behind in the curriculum a few weeks ago and now has just thrown this to them with no help. They have been given the teaching slides, which read like a text book.

13 year old DS is loving life at this slower pace
Does his online schooling with no distractions (he has trouble processing info)
Is learning to cook and is going on a cycle each day for his exercise
He’s so much happier than when he is at school
He’s playing his xbox in the evening and is happy with that
15 year old DS is missing interacting with his friends and girlfriend
He’s doing ok he is doing metafit workouts in the garden and on his bike each day for his exercise
He’s struggling with the ‘when will it all be back to normal’

I should have added. Dd has face time and can contact her friends whenever she wants. She doesn’t like it. But has accepted the situation. We have been SI for 2 weeks now as I became ill.

My 12 yr old seems to be enjoying home learning and generally not rushing about every day. She’s been doing a lot of crafts and starting an online art lesson today. She was doing competitive sports before lockdown so has a fitness timetable set up by her clubs with zoom training plus doing YouTube workouts and going for a run every few days.
My youngest however has worn her dressing gown for 4 days now and has forgotten how to brush her hair. She seems more out of sorts which is surprising to me as she never liked school anyway. I’m going to do her a timetable this week to give her a big of reassurance. She’s always been very on top of her daily routine, knowing exactly what she had on each day so probably feels like a rugs been pulled out from beneath her.

It must be so hard for the teenagers. I really feel for them.

Mine are 8 and 5 and getting along fine. The 8 year old is rabidly independent, bordering on anti-social, and seems almost relieved not to have to do the "friend thing" (tbf I feel the same). I thought the 5 year old would miss his friends more but he doesn't seem to - actually he's a sensitive wee soul who'd been getting picked on lately by some of the rougher kids in his class, so again I think it's something of a relief. Neither them are terribly active or sporty, so aren't missing that - lots of complaints when I make them do PE with Joe!

We do lessons in the morning - led by me as the school haven't put anything online and won't till after Easter. They've sent a few worksheets home but, in the boy's case at least, they're so far below his level it's laughable. He can multiply any number in his head and they've got him practicing counting in twos! They're both super bright and want to learn though, which makes my life so much easier.

Afternoons are their own and they can do what they like so long as it doesn't involve screens - till 4pm, when they get their Kindles for an hour before tea, and after that they can watch TV before bed.

I've been amazed and very grateful for how good they've been. They wind each other up something chronic, but when it gets too much they get sent to their rooms until they can be civil again. Early days yet of course!

My two are up and down. My dd is an extrovert and is finding it harder. On another subject, how do I bookmark? I keep pressing it but get nowhere?