Exactly how much are our youngsters expected to give up?

[StayAGhost]

So after not been able to do her GCSE's, been locked down for 18 months, not able to grow and develop as a teenager should, no concerts, no Meeting with friends, no shopping or general hanging round, no holidays, no seeing grandparents the NCS have now CANCELLED their camp
For a virus that does NOT affect the young

Exactly when us enough enough??

DD sobbing in bedroom, this was what got her thru 14 assessments in 3 weeks

To take from her is cruel

And SO UNNECESSARY

Well said @Elizabeth110100 , it's not wrong to be disappointed that our DCs have missed out on formative experiences that they would have enjoyed and that would have helped them develop as young adults.

DS and his peers seem a good year younger than their actual age - 15. I suppose it's good that they're not interested in girls or alcohol, I'm sure he'll catch up at some stage.

@elizabethdraper

Maybe your family should all read Anne's Frank's diary together and do a compare and contrast to covid

Ffs! Seriously?

Why must this be a race to the bottom? Why can young people not be upset about all the things they have missed out on without other people sneering that they should be grateful for what they haven't had to live through?

As for saying they'll have the rest of their lives - well, no, they won't.
They won't ever be this Ve again.
They won't ever be 15/16/17 again.

My son has spent 20% of his young life under some sort of Covid restrictions.

Yeah dd1 missed DolE too. I half hated half loved my own DofE. Certainly character building and memorable! Yet another thing missed for this cohort.

Those comparing to Ann frank are being pathetic. Presumably you never ever complain about anything that goes wrong through no fault of your own in your own lives? There are people starving in Yemen you know.

Unfortunately we can’t segregate the young from their parents or family or everyone else they meet in society . Plus for some of them covid can still be quite nasty .

How would you feel if they bought it back and then you ended up in hospital for 3 months and then were unable to work ?

@Reachersloveinterest

I won’t ever have my 40th wedding anniversary again , miss being with my grandson when he was ill , I won’t get back a year where I could not see my mum when her health deteriorated

We all have things we can’t get back . I am not saying it’s not hard , very hard for young people but you can’t stop them spreading to others who are vunerable .

I think you are allowed to say it’s crap of course it is but I don’t know what you think the answer is ?

[quote Unsure33]@Reachersloveinterest

I won’t ever have my 40th wedding anniversary again , miss being with my grandson when he was ill , I won’t get back a year where I could not see my mum when her health deteriorated

We all have things we can’t get back . I am not saying it’s not hard , very hard for young people but you can’t stop them spreading to others who are vunerable .[/quote]
But there you are being competitive again. It doesn't matter to any of us that other people have also had it rough, we are still allowed to few sad about what WE have lost. It's not a competition.

@MsTSwift

Yeah dd1 missed DolE too. I half hated half loved my own DofE. Certainly character building and memorable! Yet another thing missed for this cohort.

Those comparing to Ann frank are being pathetic. Presumably you never ever complain about anything that goes wrong through no fault of your own in your own lives? There are people starving in Yemen you know.

Please don't be part of this trend of referring to groups of people as "cohorts".

Also, from 2020, everywhere became a "setting"

Argh!

Kids and their parents that simply cannot cope with another day of this will get a nasty shock if they catch Covid and don't recover for years. DS is in the same boat, gutted the residential element has been cancelled, but then he sees DD who has been bedbound for 13 months since catching Covid and realises it's all about perspective. Likewise when he reads about everything his year has lost out on, he just looks at his DSis and thanks his lucky stars that's all he has to cope with.

OP I agree with you but don't expect much sympathy from Mumsnet. My family and I have had a tough time through COVID, I posted several times for support (never in AIBU!) and was torn apart every time. COVID has become an excuse for some people to be vile to others. Parenting questioned and criticised, sneering and condescending, the (frankly grotesque and disrespectful) comparisons with WW2 and the Holocaust - it's not been as bad as that so STFU and be grateful.

I'm so sorry for your DD. Life has been awful over the last 18 months and I really feel for children and young people who have struggled to handle it. A PP's conclusion that at least all kids will turn out to be resilient is crass in the extreme.

What’s wrong with the word cohort? What would you use then? Year group? Same age kids? Clunky.

Why does no one seem to give a shit ? I'm guessing the majority age range on Mumsnet is 25-50s we haven't had any major incidents in our time on the planet.
I was just saying to OH how shit it would be to be 18 now (I'm 28) I was in night clubs going out travelling meeting boys dancing the years go much slower when you are younger .
I hope it ends soon so our young can go out and have fun again.

Unfortunately we can’t segregate the young from their parents or family or everyone else they meet in society .
Or even from the CEV and CV young.

Plus for some of them covid can still be quite nasty ..
Yes - Long Covid especially.

DD who has been bedbound for 13 months since catching Covid
Your poor DD. Has she been able to access treatment and support? It's still such early days. Not everywhere has Long Covid clinic (particularly for children) up and running yet. I really hope things improve for her (and in a different way, for your DS, who sounds like a lovely brother).

was just saying to OH how shit it would be to be 18 now
Particularly for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and Clinically vulnerable 18 year olds, those with vulnerable siblings, parents, friends, and other family members.

@Unsure33
I'm so sorry. It's been so tough for everybody, and must be so difficult to miss out on precious time with your grandson. Your poor mum too. It's heartbreaking how our elderly are losing the last years of their lives (whilst still physically and mentally able to fully particularly in life).

Of course it's been shit for young people. Which is why it would be a very bad idea to condemn them to a future where Covid becomes endemic. What a shit future where our (now adult) children have to suffer periodic outbreaks - with all the risks including Long Covid, and the financial cost of paying endemic Covid.

We should be able to feel for everybody who has been impacted by the pandemic. Which is most people.

I feel sorry for the bereaved children who have lost a parent to Covid.

I feel so sorry for our exhausted and traumatised NHS workers (of all ages).

www.itv.com/news/2021-06-06/nhs-staff-broken-and-terrified-of-impact-of-june-21-easing-of-restrictions

@Tealightsandd

was just saying to OH how shit it would be to be 18 now Particularly for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and Clinically vulnerable 18 year olds, those with vulnerable siblings, parents, friends, and other family members.

@Unsure33
I'm so sorry. It's been so tough for everybody, and must be so difficult to miss out on precious time with your grandson. Your poor mum too. It's heartbreaking how our elderly are losing the last years of their lives (whilst still physically and mentally able to fully particularly in life).

Of course it's been shit for young people. Which is why it would be a very bad idea to condemn them to a future where Covid becomes endemic. What a shit future where our (now adult) children have to suffer periodic outbreaks - with all the risks including Long Covid, and the financial cost of paying endemic Covid.

If you are CEV presumably you would have had two doses of the vaccine hence your risk of getting very ill from covid is much reduced.

[quote Tealightsandd]We should be able to feel for everybody who has been impacted by the pandemic. Which is most people.

I feel sorry for the bereaved children who have lost a parent to Covid.

I feel so sorry for our exhausted and traumatised NHS workers (of all ages).

www.itv.com/news/2021-06-06/nhs-staff-broken-and-terrified-of-impact-of-june-21-easing-of-restrictions[/quote]
NHS workers aren't a monolithic block many want to get back to normal now many people have had the vaccine.

you are CEV presumably you would have had two doses of the vaccine hence your risk of getting very ill from covid is much reduced.

I was mainly talking about the psychological impact of the past year (pre vaccines). Being aware of their increasd risk, some having to shield, and finding thenselves so often othered.

Re your post. Experts are not sure how much protection some of the vulnerable get from vaccines. There might be only limited protection for people with blood cancer, for example.

Also there are CEV and CV children not yet vaccinated.

Those less protected by or medically unable to have the vaccines need the true herd immunity of 80-90% vaccinated.

We're doing well with our rollout so we are heading in the right direction. We now need the government to not mess things up at the last minute. Yet again. No more one step forward, two steps back please.

Interesting the virus affects the whole world . Every single govt is struggling with a novel virus and situation - yes, even Australasian countries who have to grapple with isolation long-term.

Also the UK is far from the richest nation, so if you want to demand vaccine sharing, it is not all on this country.

Youth is short. It is very sad our young have missed out on things. Even things they don’t enjoy! The MFL exchange is a rite of passage and source of much bants for years to come. I haven’t relished the past year at all, particularly as I am cev. Yet I didn’t miss out on festivals, school trips, graduation, going to bars, meeting new people, school concerts, finding a first proper job etc etc etc.

Those aged 18-24 made up 61% of those who lost payrolled employment during the coronavirus created crisis.

Which is even more severe when you consider how many in that age group are in University education.
Source: ONS

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-payrolled-employment-rises-for-third-month-after-a-year-of-lockdown-misery-for-jobs-12254091

Those aged 18-24 made up 61% of those who lost payrolled employment during the coronavirus created crisis.

But as it's London that has suffered the highest unemployment rates, I doubt there'll be much political or media concern. It doesn't fit in with the 'levelling up' bringing social cleansing to other parts of the UK agenda.

Separately, research has shown that people over 50 who have lost their jobs, will struggle the most to secure new employment (due to age discrimination).

Division and generalisation - be it regional or age or anything else is a convenient distraction technique from shit government and policies (and it's practiced by both main parties).

My now 18 year old son missed his final DofE Gold, lower 6th trip to Iceland and a church trip to Finland all in the first lockdown. It’s shit, but this pandemic isn’t just about young people. As others have said , those teens are connected to parents and grandparents. My DH is 50+ and T1 diabetic, so definitely vulnerable. It’s just tough for everyone

Year 6 DD in tears today as activity holiday next month cancelled ☹️
I'm done with this.

School trip I mean.