Anxious about dc going back to school. Any shielders around to help calm me?

[SistemaAddict]

Ds is 5. There is no chance of SD but he is very conscious of keeping his distance so next week is going to throw him completely. I'm doing my best to reassure him but as the date to return gets closer he's getting more worried. I'm being pragmatic with him and encouraging him with hand washing and catch it bin it kill it using tissues. Reading another thread where a teacher hugged an anxious child has made me even more anxious. Ds hasn't even been able to hug his grandmother so no way do I want anyone hugging him. We are in Greater Manchester and under enhanced restrictions and I am extremely clinically vulnerable which as a single mum with no help at all adds to the anxiety. Yes, I'm getting help for the anxiety before anyone piles on but this won't start until after they go back.
Dds are at secondary in bubbles of 300+ each. They won't be hugging anyone thankfully and the rules there are pretty strict.
I've emailed the HT but no response yet.
Is anyone else in a similar position that has any words of wisdom or can join the thread in solidarity?

Not shielded but vulnerable and scared witless about them going back so I really sympathise. I've been told today that if they don't go back we will be fined as I was never in receipt of a shielding letter, if i had gotten one they may have been more flexible.
Any chance the schools will let you keep them home a while longer? I'd think they would be sympathetic to your situation especially as you live in an area with higher cases.

I spoke to the ht today and it was come back or deregister and home school.
School are letting dd wear a mask and visor. But they said they can't guarantee anything.
It's so hard! My mum was shielding, and we live with the parents so it's hard to decide what to do. I want her back, but I need to protect my mum.

I don't have an answer, but Good luck! I hope they find a solution for you that you are comfortable with.

to you, your schools sound very unhelpful.
I don't feel like I'm Ecv because I just get on with everything and struggle through. Ending up in ITU seems laughable because I'm so used to my conditions that I view myself as healthy. I'm not sick, I have a life, I cope, but that's the reality I could face if I get Covid. It's shit. And I can't die because my house is so messy. What would people think??!

DS was shielding. After a long hard think he's not going back. DD will be but she'll shower when she gets home

@Bercows that made me laugh, I've been cleaning my house a lot more and being more strict about personal grooming just in case I go to ITU. I've also told DH to bring me DECENT pyjamas if I'm hospitalised and not any old crap he finds at the bottom of my wardrobe. Funny where your brain goes when you're scared but for me I think having all my ducks in a row helps me feel I have some control over things.

OP, I am very anxious about return to school- we are in greater Manchester too and have been shielding from the start...despite shielding officially pausing at the start of the month we haven’t really changed what we are doing. I just don’t know what to do for the best. The local lockdown is not helping my anxiety either, but I don’t think we can afford to continue to homeschool

I am also vulnerable and have to send my 6 year old back to school next week. Feeling very anxious and we are also in a lockdown area. I really can’t see it being long before there is a Covid case.

I can’t understand why attendance is mandatory. If I was in an area without an extremely high amount of Covid cases I would feel better about it.

Just CV here and not happy with the schools plans.
I agree about the hugging it's exactly what i thought. But mine is yr r so really wont be SD. Theyve even gone back to circular tables.
Realistically young kids are going to get close to each other and the teacher though (if they fall over even).
I think dc1 8yo is going to really struggle as she doesnt like school, doesnt want to go back anyway and is now unsurprisingly confused about the virus. (Staying in but it's not gone and expected to go to school now, and will be lots of handwashing. ) i just dont think kids can easily adjust between stay 2m away and now squeezing next to classmates.

Being kids they will 100% get a temp or cough and that will be very stressful.
Im in a lowish area but near a city where everyone works.
I just want the options like in USA to homeschool. Academically too i think it would be best as all the time off with illness.
Also ive been quite careful the last couple of years as dc prone to d&v
So
Hand washing at soft play before eating or leaving
And as soon as they get home from school.

The kids still get sick it's not like we are big huggers or socialisers so it's either been in the air or from school /nursery etc.

School have emailed back and said they can't offer me any reassurances but will do their best and that safety is important to them. I'm still waiting to hear from primary.

I am in the clinically vulnerable category and sending ds aged 8 back and dd aged 17 (who is at a busy high school sixth form). To be honest I am just pushing the anxiety of it all out of my mind. I can’t worry about Covid. I think it’s going to be around for years and I want my children to have as much of a normal life as possible so off they will go and we will just have to hope for the best. It doesn’t mean I don’t care about getting it, of course I do, but really what can any of us do? We can’t stay shut in until a vaccine that may never come and even if it does will anyone trust it until it’s been around for a while? I know I won’t.

I have Addison’s disease, lupus, pituitary tumour, asthma, kidney issues, anaemia and other things. I am absolutely fucked if I get it but at this stage it’s probably inevitable so I just have to stay positive and trust that hopefully I will survive it. My kids deserve to go back to school. That’s genuinely how I see it.

@Bercows

to you, your schools sound very unhelpful. I don't feel like I'm Ecv because I just get on with everything and struggle through. Ending up in ITU seems laughable because I'm so used to my conditions that I view myself as healthy. I'm not sick, I have a life, I cope, but that's the reality I could face if I get Covid. It's shit. And I can't die because my house is so messy. What would people think??!

Your last comment about not being able to die because of your messy house made me smile. I remember at the beginning of lockdown panicing about my awful underwear, thinking I cant go in to ITU in these pants! Funny what we think about isnt it?

I'm extremely clinically vulnerable but I'm not too worried about it. I'm not sure if that's based on a cool headed risk assessment or complete denial. In either case, the kids are going back to school regardless so I'm trying not to pop this fragile bubble.

Like you I have three kids, one in ks1 and the other two at seniors. So we will massively expand out exposure to risk once the kids go back to school.

I cling to the heavy hitting protective badges I have, age and sex. I'm eating like a goddamned saint, I've quit drinking and I'm going to bed early. I'll get the flu jab the moment it's out this year and I'll start the vit d spray early this autumn. After all that, I'll just go right back to sticking my head in the sand and hope for the best.