My teens are saying they will ignore any new restrictions

[WearyandBleary]

Big argument this evening. My teens are saying they will ignore any new restrictions because they are mixing at school/college anyway, so what’s the point of not mixing outside of school?

They are really furious. I am quite shocked at how angry they are.

Are they being really selfish? I’m so cross with them. How are other people’s teens taking the possibility of more restrictions?

@TheKeatingFive

I’d love to see the government response to this if the virus largely killed young people. They wouldn’t give a fuck. They certainly wouldn’t be locking down the older generation to protect tnem.

This. With bells on.

And you didn’t even mention who’s picking up the tab.

Younger people will be lucky if they get pensions and will be pushing 80 before they can retire.

@RainbowParadise
Thing is, as a generation they can’t even make themselves heard at the ballot box - even without political apathy, demographically they just don’t have the numbers and will always be outvoted. David Runciman (Cambridge academic/Talking Politics podcast) is very good but very depressing on this. The U.K., especially England, is now basically run by the middle aged for the old.

@annabel85 that's a good thing is it? Something this country should be proud of?

Nope i agree with them..

Like many other secondary children there is practically no sd, in small classrooms- my ds tells me in year 9 they are mixed classes for most subjects Hi grouo of mates went to cinema on the bus a couple of weeks ago - why not government are encouraging them to return to normal.

It is absolutely not healthy to be in the same household as your parents for such a long period of time

The younger generation are fucked. The economy, jobs market, higher education, all shot to shit. That's without Brexit and climate change. I feel nothing but sorry for them. Their future is bleak.

@Seriouslymole

I don't think you should be cross with them, I think you should be cross for them. Children of all ages, but particularly teens have been absolutely shafted in the handling of this.

I'm with your teens frankly.

Yep. Completely agree.

Thank fuck they are questioning it. I would be more disappointed if mine didn't.

You're a teenager. Your education and prospects have just been thrown under the bus. Your future looks pretty bleak. They should follow the rules but is it really surprising that they prefer to stick two fingers up to the government and derive what enjoyment they can from life by seeing their mates?

We've just been through our second lockdown in Australia (Victoria), we were released somewhat from our first lockdown and my teen had a month of seeing his friends and freedom before we were put back into tougher restrictions. He doesn't like it but he fully understands why it had to happen and is complying. It's really not that hard

[quote TempsPerdu]@RainbowParadise
Thing is, as a generation they can’t even make themselves heard at the ballot box - even without political apathy, demographically they just don’t have the numbers and will always be outvoted. David Runciman (Cambridge academic/Talking Politics podcast) is very good but very depressing on this. The U.K., especially England, is now basically run by the middle aged for the old.[/quote]
@TempsPerdu I'm a bit deluded about my age and still think I'm not much older than them (I'm 32) but I'll certainly be voting to get the tories out next time around 😂 fat lot of difference it will make where I live but have to try. I hope this does begin to politicise younger people though, they deserve so much better.

@CoronaIsWatching

Surely there comes a point where it becomes a human rights issue rather than a pandemic management issue

My husband, who is in the most at risk category (and shielded for four and a half months) has a basic human right to live!

He should be allowed to live in a country where people actually give a shit about others, and abide by guidelines to keep him and thousands of others like him safe! Not live in a country where people are bleating about their human rights, to do what they want, ignore rules and guidelines and quite frankly not give a shit about anyone except themselves!

My 18 year old has worked all the way through since March, volunteering in a charity setting everyday. He was promised that his exam results would not affect his future plans. He stayed in for his 18th. He missed his prom. He has missed all of his mates 18ths. His exam results were not as promised as they had been moderated down by the school. His chosen career is on hold whilst he studies to sit the exams in October knowing he has missed so much education. It’s looking likely these exams may not happen. Then what. He takes them in May next year. And now we expect him to stay in and social distance for how long??? It’s not right.

Everybody's had quite enough of these ridiculous and illogical rules. One minute subsidised meals encouraging people to go out next minute everything closed down again. No wonder people are making their own decisions.

Well the new restrictions looks like they are only going to be pubs closing at 10pm and that's beyond your kids control so I can't see it will make much difference.

However, I know my DD20 at uni is mixing with more than 6 people as she's in her 2nd year living in rented housing and I'm leaving that up to her judgement. My DS18 will have a more limited experience but he's happy to be doing something with his time. I think being in uni accommodation he will be in a more controlled environment.

Both of mine have had an amazing summer sitting out with friends till the early hours in local parks and gardens - more social than usual - as no one was away. Winter will be more difficult as it gets too cold to sit around at night. I'm sure they will still have a good time being independent and away from home. \they will have to exercise their own judgement and face the consequences if they get in trouble.

Meanwhile boring old Mum's life is much more limited and I will obey the rules.

Glad DS is back at uni. back with girlfriend and other students. He abided by all the rules from March till September. No idea what will happen now they are all back together. 182 days of misery the young are entitled to be fed up.

I understand where they are coming from in being annoyed about it, but I wouldn't be supporting them breaking it. My teens find it really baffling that their cousins in Scotland can sit in a classroom all day with 30+ kids, but can't then sit in the park after school with 3/4 of the same kids and have said they'd find it wrong if that comes in here. However, they've been really limited (by me) on what they've been able to do since restrictions lifted a bit as their youngest sister was in the shielding group (and MIL lives with us) they realise that when they are at home they'll just have to adhere to the most strict rules.

It did take me pointing out bluntly to one that it's not safe for DD4 when her siblings went back to school because it's not safe for them in crowded corridors and classes, but I had to find a way to balance the risk to her health and the risk to the well being and education of the others. I think they realised how hard it was when I said that if I could educate them all to an acceptable standard myself I'd have pulled them from school/college because the balance then would have been tipped toward DD4, but I can't so I have to play a very careful balance between letting them go and protecting her.

Mine has been pissed of with it for some time along with his peers.
THey have been shafted and they know they have.
They know it will be them paying for all is in their working life through cuts and increased taxes. They remember how badly the last lot of cuts in education hit their classes when staff lost their jobs.

With the internet they see all these things now and how much they are getting shafted.

Adults allowed to go to work and into the pub for a pint, eating out, going gym etc. What do they have other than school?

THe blatant inconsistencies that make no sense.
The lies from the government who until the last minute told us all they were safe and don't transmit it, next thing let's blame those aged 17+ who are still in education for spreading it.

The see that those in power have no credentials to hold those positions, and are making huge mistakes as a result.

It's because kids are mixing at school that we all have to be extra careful about not mixing unnecessarily elsewhere. I have a DD who's a single child and loves having friends over, but I've explained to her that if she's going to school and seeing her dad, then we've "used up" our "contact budget".

Each time they bring in a new lock down, people are going to get more and more frustrated, and fewer and fewer people will follow the rules. It's human nature. Eventually the government will start to lose control and so it will bring in harsher measures to force people to comply. The people will respond in kind.

I see this all ending very, very badly.

They’ve got a point. If they’re seeing each other at school it makes no difference to do so after school.

Covid wouldn’t suddenly spread just because they’re not at school.

However, they should be encouraging others to listen and obey the governments rules- nobody is enjoying this.

Lockdowns in Australia seem to be a lot more sensible in what’s allowed and what’s not.

If the UK went into a strict lockdown with pubs closed etc, then people would be much more likely to comply than if they’re told that they can’t be trusted to SD at home but the pub is fine because it’s “Covid secure “

They have a point. If you are happy sending them to school you should be ok with this as well. Covid magically does not infect in schools.

@MadameBlobby

I would be so angry if I was a teenager. Fucked over with Brexit by selfish old boomers who won’t even be around for the fallout of that and now expected to sacrifice their education and social lives to protect them from an illness.

The few people I know who voted for Brexit are almost all younger than I am. Offensive generalisation.

To be frank, I agree with him. We are expecting young people to give up their jobs, their education and effectively their lives as they know it in order to protect people in their 80s and 90s.

It is not a fair or sustainable situation at all- individuals who are vulnerable need to be encouraged and supported to stay at home this winter. Their wages should be fully funded by the state if necessary.

We cannot continue with more economically and socially ruinous lockdown measures that will impact those who can least afford them the most- especially young people.

Tbf it's not really that much of a generalisation 🤷‍♀️ young people did not vote for brexit in high numbers

Lockdowns in Australia seem to be a lot more sensible in what’s allowed and what’s not.

We've also very much focused on location dependent rules from the start. For example, the area that I live in has not had a single Covid case since March (we're not close to any big cities). So we've had virtually nk restrictions, other than not being able to travel to infected areas or outside of our state. We aren't even required wear masks, as it's deemed unnecessary in our area. The proof is in the pudding - all these months and still no cases here. It's working. It's meant that businesses here have survived. If we become infected then I'm sure everything will close until it's under control.