How can you do this to your children (and yourselves)?

[endoftheworldaoife]

It has been six months and it's now very clear that covid won't be doing away in our lifetimes. A vaccine won't eradicate it (just as a vaccine didn't eradicate flu).

Most of you seem to be willing to accept social distancing and masks for the foreseeable. And I don't get it. We are a tribal species. We literally die without contact and get sick without communication. Kids are learning arrange, stilted ways of being that will just worsen their digital reliance. OCD is being normalised. Dating will be neurotic and masked. Freshers won't make new loves or lifelong friends like we did. As for their working lives...

I wouldn't mind catching covid (indeed I'm sure we all will sooner or later) so can someone explain to me what on earth is happening in their heads to tip the balance? If it only affected us, I could understand (well, I couldn't but this feels like child abuse on a giant scale).

@Boatonthehorizon

Me too already put a stop to people meeting up for 'shags' re fresher comments above. Young people literally perceive that they are being attacked if they approached in person. Its only allowed by app. See the link now?

Huh??

All these posters saying, 'I agree with you, OP.' What part do you agree with? Is it the notion that it is the biggest tragedy in the history of mankind that, for example, some privileged little snot might not be fulfilling the parental fantasy in current times of meeting and mating during freshers?! So that years later, while the poor rot in the street, they can quaff their lovely red wines and say, 'Oh those were the days, weren't they, Buntie?'

I mean, I'm sure that's disappointing for all concerned, but I would hardly label it child abuse.

Or is it this bit: I wouldn't mind catching covid.

Because if that is the case, I would be most grateful if you, OP - or any of those who say they 'agree' with you - would catch it, instead of me, as I am one of those insignificant types whose lives you would like to sacrifice to this disease, so that your children (or just plain you, let's be realistic) don't have to suffer any interruptions whatsoever to their social lives.

every single person forced to endure restrictions on their social contacts

The horror, the horror! My God, woman. You are barking!

Clasp those poor 'abused' 'children' to your heaving, histrionic breast, and ponder those who are in fact utterly alone in this time, doing their best just to stay alive and being thoughtful and considerate of the well-being of their fellow man. You seem, even by MN standards, remarkably low on both grit and empathy.

@ShastaBeast - that makes sense. I hope you are feeling better now, btw.

Everyone saying it's just a bit of distancing and wear your mask and get on with it, if your area goes in to lockdown - and mine has since cases have just shot up out of nowhere - then you're going to get a whole load of crappy extra restrictions, loads of fear in the community,
parents keeping their kids off school a week after starting so school routine is all over the place and the kids are all scared again.I would be less dismissive if I were you.

A) we’re not going to “beat” Covid, however...
B) we are going to have maintain all the bullshit for the foreseeable so that health systems don’t get overwhelmed.

Unfortunately it really is that simple. I guess the frustration is born from the fact that many people (myself included) fantasized that A) would be possible. Its perfectly clear it isn’t ... but that doesn’t mean we get to dump B) as the NHS would sink and no government wants to accept a quarter of a million+ elderly dying under their watch. Neither morally or career wise/electorally.

It is appalling young people are being blamed.
It will be parents fault by the end of the month because our kids are --not- gathering outside of school in their masses. Still having sleep overs with their classmates etc.
It's already the teachers own fault for doing their job and infecting each other.

Government have fucked up so many times by being so fucking wishy washy with their advice.
Investing millions into their mates businesses for shite like track and trace that we already had on a global level.

Save the economy, schools to remain open at all costs. Either way the economy is fucked. If companies have to close again to keep the schools open this will lead to job losses. We've already seen that the bubbles aren't working, 706 schools now have infections, on Friday it was 554.

It was obvious that this would happen from looking at schools around the world who have opened and closed.

I am questioning why the government have done nothing with regards to education especially those GCSE and beyond. During lockdown, these age groups were neglected and forgot about by the government.

Unfortunately some people seem to be too selfish to understand or care and only think of their own needs.

Which type of person are you?

I'm the type who thinks collateral damage is not a price worth paying. The type who is horrified by the implications for those already living with cancer or other serious diseases and those who are recently being diagnosed and facing increased waiting time for treatment. The type who has seen the horrific consequences for people battling substance addiction, who can't now access their 12-step groups to support their recovery and are now relapsing in droves. The type who believes children need education, interaction with other children, and the chance to live something resembling a normal life.

I am not the type of person who:

Refuses to wear a mask where masks are required. Polices my neighbours' behaviour. Bawls out people in public or mutters and throws side-eye at them for not wearing a mask. Reports people to the authorities. Writes childish, cowardly anonymous notes. Appoints myself as Neighbourhood Prefect and lectures people on how I think they should be conducting themselves. Makes assumptions about other people's mental health.

HTH.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel

Yes cowering in bunkers is rather hilarious isn’t it.
So pleased neither you nor I did it .
Sad for my friends with the same condition as me did it , many still doing it.
Gawd, they were even sanitising their shopping.
Bless em

The virus won’t be gone but the pandemic will be. Life without SD will return.

Oh I cleaned my shopping! I've recently stopped and still feel a bit twitchy. But there were four new cases yesterday in my region of 374,000 people so y'know, I had to get my shit together...

@Trevortrilby

Everyone saying it's just a bit of distancing and wear your mask and get on with it, if your area goes in to lockdown - and mine has since cases have just shot up out of nowhere - then you're going to get a whole load of crappy extra restrictions, loads of fear in the community, parents keeping their kids off school a week after starting so school routine is all over the place and the kids are all scared again.I would be less dismissive if I were you.

Then start teaching your kids some emotional resilience and empower them to use their inner resources and imagination...or, if you want, teach them they have no responsibility and their happiness depend on trips to Marbella and freshers week...and watch their anxiety and depression increase as they feel powerless....come on..try and stand in a difference place...we are not living in a shanty town in India or Brazil.

@endoftheworldaoife

The only alternatives aren't soft social isolation or lockdown, renegade. Both of those things were unthinkable, or should have been.

It's possible to take reasonable measures without ripping the heart out of what it means to be human.

Masks are a sideshow imo. I think forcing them is awful but they're not the core of the problem.

I can't see the point of saving people from death (a tiny number of people) by making life below worth living.

Not to mention the people who will die BECAUSE of restrictions.

What is your answer then?

Because 40000 people died WITH restrictions. What do you think the figure would be without?

It may be a tiny percentage of infections that cause death, and those largely in the elderly, but it’s not a tiny number!

There should be a middle ground for discussion here without everyone accusing others of being - I am paraphrasing here - mentally unwell

Well exactly. If there doesn't seem to be a place for a middle ground, it begs the question why. Could it be a problem with perspective. That question can easily be part of a balanced middle ground.

@sunglassesonthetable

I hardly think university students will be lining people up against the wall because a grand old tradition of getting langered and shagging a different person every night of Freshers' Week has been taken away from them. crying at this😂

With DC heading off to Uni next weekend I’m quite glad these restrictions will be in place 😂😂

@flymyprettyfly

God lord. So dramatic.

Do you actually think we will be living this way forever?!

I mean seriously, do you actually think your children won't be able to experience normal life, have relationships, or have the youth and freedom you did?

There have been worse pandemics before our time and normality resumed.

A vaccine didn't eradicate flu, but we live our lives along side it without any restrictions or precautions.

This is a novel virus. We are still learning about it.

I'm very optimistic that there will be a vaccine and, or, better treatments available.

Don't worry OP, your children will be just fine.

This in spades.

@LadyofTheManners
The priority supermarket was a shambles.
I remember crying on the phone to anyone I could get hold of in desperation. No-one could go out as I had the virus. Couldn't get a slot. After the first week all support from local voluntary groups quickly stopped.
Came on here and it was in the height of close down take-aways. Once the food ran out it's all I could feed my child. It was horrendous.

And yes the education system and their threats. I shut that up years ago when I sent them links from nhs about viruses and when to isolate. Not dose up with calpol and we will keep an eye on them bollocks.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel
You certainly do, we all do.
All life is risky as we well know
Once it was clear that this virus wasn’t going to cut a swathe through society, March 19 actually, according to the government website
Me and dh agreed we were going to live our lives as norma.
We had a drive Out every day, went to supermarkets, went to town centre..all indoors..no masks , went to parks, beaches, Country parks, forests, met with family Inside and out.
VE Day...started off socially distant..well you can imagine the rest
We can at least look back and say we didn’t love it, but we lived it.

@endoftheworldaoife

If you wait a couple of years, there will be no jobs, no schools, no hospitals. We can't exist in a half world.

More people are dying from suicide than covid at the moment.

Which is why it won’t and can’t last that long.

WHO have said they reckon the pandemic will be over in under 2 years.

@canigooutyet
Sorry to hear that .
It shouldn’t have been this way

@Gladysthesphinx

Agree with you OP. I think it reflects the privileged baby boomer state of mind. Too many elderly people simply don’t care what they inflict on the young. They see themselves as entitled to protection whatever the cost. Anyone who suggests the elderly should be isolating themselves, while the rest of us get on with life, is howled down because the elderly baby boomers genuinely think the rest of society should be sacrificed for them. They have no concept of society. They don’t care that our children will be burdened with debt for decades and more; about youth unemployment, youth homelessness, youth despair, the destruction of our children’s future. It’s all about keeping them safe, whatever the cost to others.

Oh do fuck off with your ageism.

Who mentioned civil war?

Read this yesterday, about pimticsl unrest and pandemics

www.newsweek.com/history-epidemics-pandemic-civil-unrest-reasons-1530055

Where are your statistics coming from op??

Daily deaths may be low but that’s only because those in critical care who don’t stand a chance, are being kept alive by our brilliant nhs..... they can’t save them all though, they are critical. They will die eventually

@Dowser

"If you read my comment properly, you will deduce I’m not cowering in my bunker
I’ve been living my life all year. Going where I like
, doing what I like.
In fact we are just about to drive into our nearest big city and see how the party goers are doing."

Oh for fuck's sake no one is cowering in a bunker, and you selfishly courting super-spreader status doesn't make you braver or more special than anyone else.

There's this whole Billy-big-bollocks attitude by the anti maskers/'truth seekers' desperately wanting to believe they're some kind of freedom fighter, instead of just the worst caricature of Daily Mail/Express reader made flesh

You certainly do, we all do.
All life is risky as we well know
Once it was clear that this virus wasn’t going to cut a swathe through society, March 19 actually, according to the government website
Me and dh agreed we were going to live our lives as norma.
We had a drive Out every day, went to supermarkets, went to town centre..all indoors..no masks , went to parks, beaches, Country parks, forests, met with family Inside and out.
VE Day...started off socially distant..well you can imagine the rest
We can at least look back and say we didn’t love it, but we lived it.

Let's hope you didn't spread it, you lovely person, you.