Please explain the bubble

[theredhen1]

I don't think my step children have understood the principal.

They want to form a bubble with my husbands ex wife and stay at her house. They have a 6 month old baby and I understand they want to spend some time with granny etc.

However, ex wife lives half her time with 17 year old sister to eldest step daughter and the 17 year old lives half her life with us. 17 year old is back in school. Husband and I are both key workers. So there is no isolating going on in our household which includes 17 year old.

We have been told that anyone who lives in ex wife house can hold the baby, including 17 year old auntie, but we can't.

Am I correct to think that the bubble can't really work in this situation?

The key thing in order to be eligible to form a bubble is that at least one of the households involved must have only one adult. (The other household in the bubble can have any number of people. ) So if the ex-wife only lives with a 17-year-old and no other adults then yes she can form a bubble with one other household.

Currently she also has her 21 year old home from uni (whom we collected in our car) at home too. He'll stay for a month at hers before going back to uni accommodation.

If she's currently got a 21-year-old living there too then she is not currently eligible to form a bubble. Bubbles are only available to households with only one adult.

You don't have to apply for a bubble so "eligibility" isn't really a concern.

It sounds like eldest SD just wants to see her mum now and is happy to turn a blind eye to the fact they might open themselves up to a higher chance of catching the virus.

If you're concerned about the baby then maybe your husband could suggest 17 year old stays with you for a few weeks

Can they not stay at their mothers house regardless?

Ok thanks. I have just read up the guidelines and it seems the 17 year old going back and forth is fine but it's the 21 year old that is the problem from a legal point of view.

"Eligibility" is a concern if the people involved want to meet up in each other's houses without committing a criminal offence. Obviously, if the people involved don't care about breaking the law they will no doubt do whatever they want.

Nobody is getting warned, never mind prosecuted or fined.

What is your issue OP? Why exactly are you bothered?

Two points. Firstly, they are very much not wanting to break the law, so I think they've forgotten to include the brother, probably because he's only there temporarily.

Second point is that I can see my husband is upset that he can't hold his granddaughter and wanted to reassure him that what they're doing is correct.

"I can see my husband is upset that he can't hold his granddaughter and wanted to reassure him that what they're doing is correct."

That's what came across, except it came across as you want to tell them they're wrong and stop them from doing it.

Forget the "law". Nobody is going to be prosecuted or anything like that. This won't end well, it's not concern about the baby or their well-being mentally. Your SD wants her mum around and that's normal with a young baby. Your DH "holding" the baby is probably something they want too but not very helpful or practical at the moment so he'll have to wait.

Don't guilt trip your step daughter because she's having to choose between her mum, dad or nobody

I've got no intention of saying or doing anything. Just wanted to understand the situation.

The situation is that a new Mum wants to be around her own Mum and that's natural.

I think now flights are opening up, protests going on, large gatherings in Manchester every other week that the Police ignore etc etc, we should be doing our own risk assessments, before we cut ourselves off from needed support.

As Key Workers your infection risk is high. Their's might not be. So it's up to your SD to decide.