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Original poster

Has anyone else not taken their kids out since lockdown began?

279 replies

Dippitydoodle · 26/04/2020 22:45

I've not taken my daughters out since lockdown began. We're not in the 'at risk' group, no existing health conditions I'm concerned about or anything. They've not asked to go out and we have a decent sized garden so they're outside at somepoint most days. But I'm beginning to question my judgment. Just curious if your all making the most of the allowed exercise time and going out with the kids? Am I wrong in not taking them for a walk round the block or a run on the field when I go with the dogs?

OP posts:
anothernamereally · 27/04/2020 11:12

I agree there is a very superior tone!
What's wrong with being happy in your own home?
I'm not a person who enjoyed staying indoors watching screens as a previous poster suggested, I went out daily to the gym, to swim, to work etc but for now I'm happy to only go out if essential, without my children who I feel would not benefit from a walk around an area where they can't see friends or go on the swings.
For my children going out would damage their mental health as they would begin to miss all the things they can't do rather than enjoy a walk around the block or through a park where we would normally picnic with friends.
They're happy in their bubble!

Beechview · 27/04/2020 11:15

Fit healthy families that enjoy fresh air and waking etc - I suspect in the main continue to do so

Families that spent most of free time at home in front of screen etc continue to do so. But now they can justify their way of life by saying they are shielding etc

This is such an assumption. The fit and active families not going out are still fit and active at home. They’re just finding more resourceful ways of doing it.

Anais2020 · 27/04/2020 11:21

Hello, I haven't take them out eather. Only in the backyard. They are started to get a bit more tense. Therefore I made a little video about emotions as I figured out that my youngest had some issues with emotions. So if some of you might like it. It is not professional made as I did it at ho,e but it is about the content I guess.

Hopefully I can reach some children who would love to talk more about the emotions and corona and who would love to do a nice activity about emotional resources during corona.

Next week I will post concerning not wanting to do homework as my oldest one is so done with all the homework. So this will go over tension and relaxation. If you like it and you have a friend who also has a child between 3 and 6 they feel free to share the link.

CodenameVillanelle · 27/04/2020 11:26

But why shouldn’t those more likely to die be the ones that stay in and children be the one that goes out!

I didn't say that - schools closing was the right course of action, and children shouldn't be going in shops etc but the point is that some people are so scared that their children will die of the virus that they aren't going out at all. That's not right or helpful.

Obviously all families can make their own decisions but if it's a decision based on fear that is not founded in fact it's not a good decision.

FourTeaFallOut · 27/04/2020 11:27

That's not right or helpful

Hmm It's pretty fucking helpful if you are shielding.

DDIJ · 27/04/2020 11:33

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

moita · 27/04/2020 11:36

I take my 2 and 3 year old out for a walk everyday . Its such a long day otherwise and breaks the day up.

I don't fake them to shops as DH is furloughed so no need to.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 27/04/2020 11:38

I take my DS to the shops. I'm a single parent, no other option.

Stumpedasatree · 27/04/2020 11:41

I can't imagine not taking my DC out daily either. They wouldn't sleep without a good run/walk/cycle each day, neither would I, and it would be terrible for all of our mental health.

lovinglavidaloca · 27/04/2020 11:42

We’re out a walk or a cycle every day.

Bimbleboo · 27/04/2020 11:55

@DDIJ I second this. My ten month old doesn’t watch screens. We are not some lazy obese family justifying our laziness. We just able to entertain ourselves and be active and engaged with things that are in our home and garden. We are creative with the space and time and don’t feel the NEED to traipsing into public spaces for the sake of it because it is allowed. We are a family who WOULD be out on woodland walks and cycles and duck visiting and hill climbing and all manner of things if the situation didn’t exist.
We are able and willing not to go out. Doesn’t mean she’s been locked up and damaged. Doesn’t mean we are lazy and imposing screens.
Ridiculous assumptions.
I’m as shocked by people being incapable of staying home without feeling depressed or hard done by, as they apparently are by me being able to do it and cope well.
Absolutely no one needs to accuse others of causing their children harm by not insisting on a daily trek out for the sake of it because it’s ‘allowed’.

Yes it’s allowed, yes you can justify it. So those people can and will continue and that’s fine. . No it doesn’t mean we are sad or unhealthy for not following suit.

RainbowCookie · 27/04/2020 12:02

We are just entering our 5th week of hard lockdown so we are not allowed out to exercise at all, I’ve been out 4 times but just to do the shopping.
Kids have been surprisingly fine, we make sure we play outside as a family every day for an hour in the garden. Kids annoyingly won’t play outside on their own for some reason.
My DS 11 does 10k steps a day easily, kids don’t tend to just sit down inside they are always pottering about and wiggling so not like lazy adults stuck at home.
I am really looking forward to getting out for a run and getting them on their bikes next weekend though.

Truffleshuff · 27/04/2020 12:03

DS is 14 months and we go out, because honestly, keeping a toddler who has just started walking and understanding more about the world around them is exhausting. And screens are very much a part of our day at the moment, feel free to judge away!

FourTeaFallOut · 27/04/2020 12:05

and it would be terrible for all of our mental health

Well my family must be very robust then, thankfully, given we have little choice in the matter.

YodaEveryday · 27/04/2020 12:06

We don’t have a garden so for mine to go outside we have to go out. If we lived in my mum’s house with a big garden we probably wouldn’t have been out much at all though.

I stayed in the first two weeks of lockdown and really struggled, the children (especially the teens) actually seem less bothered by staying in than me!

Hairydilemma · 27/04/2020 12:09

We have three children (13, 11, 11) and we have been out for 2 walks in the last six weeks. We haven’t missed it (in fact the children moaned when we made them go out on Sat!)

They’ve been in the garden and had plenty of fresh air/exercise and vit D.

But I felt very stressed about going out (we haven’t been to a shop for six weeks either) so staying in has worked well for us.

I appreciate this won’t be possible for, or the choice of, everyone. If we didn’t have a garden I’m sure we’d have been out more.

Hairydilemma · 27/04/2020 12:15

I’m as shocked by people being incapable of staying home without feeling depressed or hard done by, as they apparently are by me being able to do it and cope well.
Absolutely no one needs to accuse others of causing their children harm by not insisting on a daily trek out for the sake of it because it’s ‘allowed

I also agree with this. Everyone seems very keen to say how much some people need to go out for their mental health. I don’t doubt this is true.

But it’s also true that not going out has undoubtedly been far better for some people’s mental health (mine!) and is equally valid an approach to all of this.

There are all kinds of things I’m ‘allowed’ to do in life. Doesn’t mean I want to or need to do all of them.

Splenetic · 27/04/2020 12:39

Families that spent most of free time at home in front of screen etc continue to do so. But now they can justify their way of life

I'm not suggesting this is true of anyone on this thread, but it is entirely true of a friend of mine and his family. They're an ordinary middle-class family one parent an academic, one an accountant and have three children, who are 14, 11 and 9, and neither children nor adults ever leave the house apart from for work or school. No hobbies, no playdates, no socialising. The father and the children spend all of their time gaming, and the only exercise the children ever get is on their trampoline. None of the children can swim or cycle.

Lockdown is absolutely business as usual for them.

Inthepurplerain · 27/04/2020 13:04

That’s so judgemental.

TwelveMonkeys · 27/04/2020 13:04

We live in a huge city. All public parks are closed. Pre-lockdown, my kids pastimes were going to parks/playgrounds (all now closed), going to shopping centres/soft play places (all now closed), and going to their swimming/dance/martial arts/music classes (all now cancelled).

So the only thing we can really do if we go out, is walk around the urban jungle meaninglessly. Oh and perhaps have a nice tantrum if we walk past a playground or shop or something and have to tell them they can't go in.

So no, we've not been out for 5 weeks. We have a pool and a trampoline and a garden and a vegetable patch and swings and a slide at home so we're outside most of the day anyway. My eldest also watches tv/plays videogames for a couple of hours a day at the moment too.

ChaBishkoot · 27/04/2020 13:08

Mine haven’t. We have a really really big garden- big enough to cycle around comfortably. They are outside for several hours a day. One of my sons is in the at risk group and DH is a medic working on COVID wards so we have minimised their exposure. Their mental health seems fine- in fact both have been happier in lockdown which has made me pause and think.

ChaBishkoot · 27/04/2020 13:10

And oh we are a low/almost no screen household. We only tend to watch live sport and since that’s not an option my children have spent almost no time in front of the TV. My older son plays music so he’s loving all the practice time he has. The little one is still too young to have a ‘hobby’ but again the ‘not going out’ hasn’t meant endless TV time either.

TheMagiciansMewTwo · 27/04/2020 13:50

We haven't taken our DC out. We have a high risk family member. DC have fresh air every day, play in the garden and do at least one exercise session per day.

porkochop · 27/04/2020 13:56

Nothing wrong with tv, even if you do have a garden big enough to cycle around Hmm

janeyloves · 27/04/2020 13:58

Same op. We have a v large garden so exercise in done at home. Urban area and social distancing difficult. I thought we should leave the parks for those in flats or without gardens.

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