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Original poster

Are you taking your kids to the park?

131 replies

Needausername99 · 12/01/2021 19:53

Parks are open within the rules this time so I have been taking mine but they've been really quiet.

Now we're being told we all need to do more and act like we all have the virus - obviously if this was the case then we wouldn't be going to the park.

So have I been selfish and pushed the boundaries or should I keep on going?!

OP posts:
NerrSnerr · 13/01/2021 13:31

We go to the park but they're all empty near us. We're lucky there are a few parks in the village so we've told the children that if we go and their friends are there they can shout a quick hello (from afar) and we'll go somewhere else because with all the will in the world a 3 year old and 6 year old won't social distance effectively at a park.

movingonup20 · 13/01/2021 13:43

Council has locked the playground, basketball court and skate park because they t was attracting teenagers in large groups but main parkland is open. We are going into the countryside instead though (driving 10 mins)

Speakproper · 13/01/2021 14:37

I'm hardly the covid police nor think it's good to keep kids in, but going on the swings is not a necessity right now, whenso.manykids are still in school and still catching it.

My kids have going to school taken away from them. I understand why! But no way am I taking the playpark away from the too.

If you are someone who is sending kids to school when you don't really need to, then please stay away. If you are a KW who is sending their child to school because you absolutely have to, then I hope you & your kids get the chance to enjoy the play park.

Excited101 · 13/01/2021 14:38

Parks, yes. Playgrounds, absolutely not.

MiddleParking · 13/01/2021 14:56

@OverTheRubicon

Of course we're not going to eliminate the virus, but given that so much of the transmission is virtually unavoidable (in hospitals, among people working in necessary environments like supermarkets etc) then the minimum the rest of us can do is try to drop our contacts for a relatively short period to try to get cases down to a point where they reopen schools.

I get what you’re saying, but I see it from the opposite angle. Given there’s so much transmission in all those other places like you say, I don’t think there’s a hope of restrictions being lifted (especially not schools reopening) with or without kids going on the playground or any kind of ‘good behaviour’ at this stage, so it just seems a pointless sacrifice to ask them for. The only two things I can see getting us out of this are 1) the natural improvement with the better weather and 2) the vaccines. So I’m pretty much at the ‘crack on’ stage with the few things left that we’re physically able to do.

Bonsai49 · 13/01/2021 15:00

I’ve been taking my kids every week or so - the playgrounds are pretty quiet unless the weathers lovely - so we go when it’s not !

WorriedMillie · 13/01/2021 15:03

Yes, but we avoid the play equipment if it’s busy, if not, sanitise hands before and after, discourage touching face and issue strict instructions not to lick anything Grin

BlowDryRat · 13/01/2021 19:11

Yes, every weekend. There's nothing else for the DC to do and they need to get out of the house.

jakeyboy1 · 13/01/2021 22:59

My park has the police patrolling it. Haven't been near.

Whatam · 13/01/2021 23:12

Unfortunately not. We have many parks around but people just stand and chat around at the narrow entrances. They don't wear masks and won't even try to move to allow anyone to go in a safe socially distanced way. It's quite sad because the huge parks can allow everyone safe space only if people were a little respectful and cautious.
The cases are so high in our area that we can't afford to take the risk.

MiddleParking · 14/01/2021 06:26

@jakeyboy1

My park has the police patrolling it. Haven't been near.
What are they patrolling it for? Kids going in the playground? What a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money.
Sethy38 · 14/01/2021 06:46

Parks, forests, lakes

Mine are too old for playgrounds but if they were younger and the playground was empty or only one other family in it - then absolutely yes.

The people saying - no never, fair enough.

But I’m intrigued by those say they go once a week. What do you do with your children for the other 6 days in terms of getting them out and letting them have a really good run around?

HairyToity · 14/01/2021 07:19

Yes we do. We all had covid over Christmas though. I've not heard of anyone catching covid from the park or going for a socially distanced walk with friends.

GlitterWasp · 14/01/2021 08:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Callcat · 14/01/2021 08:36

There isn't a park near me but we live rurally so all the space in the world to run around. Can literally walk for 3 hours and not see a soul sometimes. There is a playground which I would allow them to use but it's too boggy! You can't get near the equipment unless you're in wellies. Not just a little bit muddy, I'm talking 3 inches of standing water.

BlowDryRat · 14/01/2021 08:51

@Sethy38

Parks, forests, lakes

Mine are too old for playgrounds but if they were younger and the playground was empty or only one other family in it - then absolutely yes.

The people saying - no never, fair enough.

But I’m intrigued by those say they go once a week. What do you do with your children for the other 6 days in terms of getting them out and letting them have a really good run around?

It's dark by the time I've finished work so we either go for a walk (urban so it's round the streets) or they do some other kind of exercise inside.
PTW1234 · 14/01/2021 08:56

Park yes, playground no. The park near me has been extremely busy though. As are a lot of the walking routes.

So ironically I am having to travel a couple of villages over (within 5 miles) to go to the quiet smaller park that nobody other than true locals no about!

It’s getting really bad re people flocking to parks etc here, police are issuing fines for dangerous parking!

Bimbleboo · 14/01/2021 09:05

Absolutely gutted but we have had to stop.

Place is heaving. There’s thick layers of ice in the swings so any other year it would probably be deserted but it’s totally mobbed. We started going so early morning that it was still dark outside but still arrived to it being full of others.
I did try a few times to still go in, bearing in mind it was outdoors etc. But now the new variant seems to be a lot more contagious and people don’t distance now at all.
I had a feeling that a lot of the parents had the opinion that kids have ‘suffered enough’ so they were now unwilling to have them keep apart in the park, or maybe that they believed outdoors is risk free etc. A lot of the responses here make that quite probable. Which is fine, but isn’t how I feel at all.

If we could go without people letting their kids be constantly in touching distance of us, or it didn’t make me feel so uncomfortable and awkward when their kids want to come over and ‘make friends’ and I feel a monster for being horrified by it at the moment when the guidelines/ rules/ common sense would so obviously suggest that’s a terrible idea... great. But I can’t.

Would be so lovely if we could go alongside others while managing to distance, but I think people are just not willing anymore.

They have as much right to be there as us of course, but I can’t dictate to people about maybe telling their kids about some new park rules or whatever so have had to just stop going.

Original poster
Needausername99 · 14/01/2021 13:20

@jakeyboy1

My park has the police patrolling it. Haven't been near.
This is what worries me! I've seen a couple of police cars drive by but on a main road so probably be unrelated. But don't understand why they're patrolling if playgrounds can be open Confused
OP posts:
Original poster
Needausername99 · 14/01/2021 13:23

Sethy38 yeah I would have this problem as DS isn't keen to go for a walk unless there's a park or playground at the end. And walking round our streets isn't that fun for me either! Although maybe I just need to accept that and stick to it.

OP posts:
Sethy38 · 14/01/2021 13:24

* t's dark by the time I've finished work so we either go for a walk (urban so it's round the streets) or they do some other kind of exercise inside*

Often same here. Torch each. Hot choc in a thermos mug. They flipping love it!

ceeveebee · 14/01/2021 13:25

Perhaps they are policing the rule about not mixing with other households?

Doesn’t really feel like it should be the highest priority for the police force when there are illegal parties going on....

Bimbleboo · 14/01/2021 14:05

@Sethy38 oooh that’s quite a nice idea!

Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople · 14/01/2021 14:07

@Fembot123

I don’t think they ever needed to be closed in the first place.
This
London1977 · 14/01/2021 14:10

Yes I take the kids out to the park everyday, not the playground bit though (sometimes, but only if it's empty or 1 other child). We take scooters and go round the park.