How have your DC reacted to news of another lockdown...

[Attictroll]

My biggest concern is mental health glad schools are still open but I think I did a parenting fail by DS 7 hearing some of boris's announcement but I was desperate to know. He was good at saying it worried him and missing friends again. Interested in how others are explaining it...we are currently tier 1 so a big change.

Elder very upset she turns 13 a few days into lockdown. Both relieved schools still open but feeling anxious about ongoing restrictions and when they can get back to doing the things they enjoy.

DD 20 fed up, apprenticeship with multi-national likely to have the start date put back again. In the meantime she is working in a Supermarket and realises she is very lucky to have a job.

DS almost 18. College course now mostly online, part time hospitality job will finish, can't celebrate his 18th birthday as planned and driving test likely to be cancelled - again.

Suffice to say, mood is not good tonight....

Sure they’ll see their friends at school everyday? It’s only for a month - not a big deal.

Oh god it didn’t really occur to me that children’s sports clubs would be off. So many of my class will be so sad, they play rugby and football outside of school and are so passionate about it.

Both mine are glad their schools are still open. Clearly they don't want me back as their home school teacher.

They'll be sad that cubs and scouts will probably have to stop but apart from that our day to day lives will be the same. We haven't been meeting up with other households or going to places like the cinema or eating inside restaurants (we have eaten outside though) I've never felt it was actually safe or appropriate to do so.

20 and 17. 17 year old says what's the point as schools are open, he says there's no social distancing and he's with hundreds every day at his sixth form. 20 year old is sad and worried she won't be able to come home from uni for Christmas but completely agrees it needs to happen as do all her friends, she says.

My daughters 3 and a half and upset that we can’t have family round again and that ballets not going to start up again after half term and that the pubs closed the girl loves a roast down the pub! X

Mine aren't bothered as there will be no change for us anyway.

And actually a question I can’t answer. Why do we go to school with all our friends but we can’t walk home with them or play on the park afterwards.

Because reducing the amount of time people spend together reduces the risk. Because (in theory) the schools have things in place to make sure kids are safe. Because people who know more about it than me have decided it is safer.

They aren't really that bothered. They would be if the schools were shut.

My 7 year old isn't happy. Weekends are going to be dull for him being stuck at home as an only child. But at least he can still go to school.

OP- I just wanted to respond to your worry about your little one hearing a bit of the press conference tonight.
Please don’t see it as a ‘Parenting Fail’
The whole country is talking endlessly about this- from the supermarket check out staff to parents at the school gates. Children are hearing snippets constantly, and even if you’re super super cautious, they’re picking up a vibe; you can practically taste it in the air! And nothing is more scary I think than something you’ve half sensed, or half heard- but you don’t know for sure what’s going on.

So I think openness, lots of age appropriate explanations once they’ve heard something, and asking them regularly if they’ve any questions or if they’re finding anything confusing is (hopefully!) the best way to go. My LO is the same age as yours- and she’s very aware of what’s happening- but I’m finding the ‘half heard’ snippets or sense that ‘something’s going on’ is more damaging to her well being than clear info coming from us.
Of course, none of us really have a clue if our approach is right! And every single child will need a different approach as they’re all so different. But PLEASE don’t berate yourself for anything around this issue. We’re all making it up as we go along :) x

They're worried schools are open. They know the virus will go around schools.
I've told them to wear masks all the time.

Big DS just wants his training course to proceed. It's a keyworker course. He is the only one who expressed an opinion, the others I'm just guessing at.

Middle DS works with his friends so will still see them at work & at college.

yr8 Ds doesn't have a social life. He would be unhappy to stop school, though, he didn't learn anything when there was online learning only.

DD would be gutted if Uni just stopped. I imagine her within-dorm socialising won't change at all (they are all one household).

16 and 14 year olds. Both annoyed schools are open. They enjoyed lockdown hmm

Same with my 16yo and 12yo. They both say they learned far more from virtual school than proper school. 16yo is hoping GCSEs will be cancelled!

Mine are gutted schools are open.

Nothing has changed for us so no issues here.

DD1 wants to flush Boris down the toilet as "he's an idiot".

I tend to agree to be honest.

The way I pitch it to them is that one day there'll be a Horrible Histories about the year it got a bit crazy and everyone bought all the toilet rolls. I think they have the script for Rattus lined up already between the pair of them.

Haven't told DD7 yet but tbh we have been under local restrictions since July so most of her clubs never started again after 1st lockdown, we haven't been able to go in people's houses etc anyway, so not much will change in her world really if school is staying open.

@Schnoopy

When I told my 7 year old dd that we were going into another lockdown, she immediately responded with "oh no, I won't be able to go to school" and looked really sad. She was ecstatic when I told her that schools weren't closing but she's also upset that her swimming lessons will be cancelled as she'd just moved up a level and was so excited to go into the deeper end of the pool. Oh well.

Already in lockdown here. My 7yo is happy that schools are still open however swimming lessons here haven’t restarted since they stopped in March! She’s really missed them.

Devastated. Just got back to competitive sports - in a very controlled and safe way - and now that's gone.

Happy school is open, but it's very stressful for DS as it's looking very unlikely there'll be exams next year so it's being drummed into them that every test/pop quiz/assessment matters. It's just constant pressure, and now there's no sport to take their minds off it.

Mine hardly reacted - they are 14, 16 and 18. Nothing much changes for us - they carry on going to school, I carry on doing my admin job in a different school (their Dad lives elsewhere).

Though I do know that my 14 year old would like schools to shut. Which would be really detrimental for her as about half way through the last lockdown she lost all motivation, and now has quite a lot of catching up to do in some subjects. More than the other two she really needs teacher input.

My 16 year old is cynical about the amount of benefit a lockdown will have given the complete lack of social distancing in schools.

My 18 year old is the only one who would normally meet up with groups of friends outside school so is the most socially affected - but he seems ok.

Well my two are devastated. 17 and 23. Neither is living the life they thought they would be living. I really feel for them.

Mine were appalled that they still have to go to school - they had envisaged days of playing on their devices until Boris burst their bubble tonight 😂

DS, 6: "we won't be able to eat in restaurants for a WHOLE MONTH??!"