Shameful treatment of children

[CottageGardener]

Taster days cancelled, work experience cancelled, sports days cancelled, exams cancelled, fetes cancelled, extra curriculum activities cancelled, end of year school assembly cancelled, transition day cancelled, trips cancelled, proms cancelled, the list goes on....

For a virus that 80% of the population now have antibodies for. The kids will never have a chance to do some of these things again. SHAMEFUL.

I think it’s mostly been necessary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not totally totally shit.

Absolutely agree. My kids have had a really crappy time.

What worries me though is the high number of people who say 'this is very shit - so let's pretend it isn't necessary'.

I completely agree OP. Other countries haven't had this level of lockdown. School didn't close after Christmas in most other countries. They prioritise school education. It's a shambles.

@hamstersarse

What misery people type.

🤣🤣🤣

Until this virus, I had no idea of the perpetual misery, pessimism and anxiety that a lot of people exist in

Some would like to go back I’m sure. With a dash of Hobbes nasty brutish and short thrown in.

On being optimistic because you just enough stuff as per pp, not really. Possible to know what’s going on and be this.

Until this virus, I had no idea of the perpetual misery, pessimism and anxiety that a lot of people exist in

I know right. QUITE the eye opener.

Those branded as pessimistic are probably just looking at the maths

What, like Princess Nutnut fantasy maths? Yeah, I guess they are looking at that ‘maths’. 😆

Yanbu op, it's shite and pointless.

' I had no idea of the perpetual misery, pessimism and anxiety that a lot of people exist in'

I know! We're living a half life, no SPORTS DAYS, bubz isn't having a leavers assembly, no nightclubs for out traumatised teens. I mean purleeeeease.

Everywhere is open! Shops, cafes restaurants. Hospitalisations are staying down. Swap the half life crap for a bit of optimism!

Other countries haven't had this level of lockdown

Other countries haven’t had our level of deaths. Mismanagement by the government has lead us here once again.

If they had introduced mitigation measures in schools, spent any money on measures in schools at all (not even paying for hand sanitiser, let alone money to improve ventilation which is acknowledged to be crucial) instead of lying about and covering up the spread in schools both before Christmas and now, things might have looked different. Of course not closing the border to India was a massive error too.

And on this thread, in all the rage, I can’t see anything criticising the pitiful level of catch-up funding the government is providing to our children to make up for their disrupted education. One tenth of what was deemed necessary.

Why are people complaining about missing sports day instead of the missing billions for catch-up?

Because the thread is more about the emotional loss than the educational loss.

Thought as much - it’s competitive sneering at people, including children, who enjoy things that you don’t.

Everywhere is not open when it comes to children. Near me the pools have not reopened. Nor the libraries. Classes for small children are operating with significant restrictions. The play cafe has closed down because it’s not viable with restrictions in place. The soft play will probably go bust if it has to do another summer in the current situation. But sure, my 3 year old will love a trip to Yates’ wine lodge and a whiz round John Lewis.

Not that she can do that right now either because she’s trapped in the house for 10 days as a contact of a Covid case even though she’s not at risk of serious illness from it, I’m not at risk of serious illness from it, her dad is not at risk of serious illness from it and anyone she might conceivably come into contact with who was at risk of serious illness is either vaccinated or has chosen not to be.

Hospitalisations are staying down and that’s why it’s unreasonable for all of this to still be the case. And when is it going to end? I read that Michael Gove thinks fully vaccinated adults will “eventually” be able to avoid isolating as a close contact if they take daily tests, like he did. Shit lot of good that is going to do for children who aren’t going to be vaccinated, isn’t it? (Or, indeed, their parents whose working arrangements get completely and utterly screwed up at zero notice for 10 day periods).

But yeah, everything’s normal innit, cos @JaniieJones can go to Wetherspoons and I should be optimistic!

@crinklyfoil

Because the thread is more about the emotional loss than the educational loss.

Funny, I thought it was about the shameful treatment of children.

Does not providing educational funding, mitigation measures that actually kept schools open, and catch-up funding to mitigate the damage done not count as shameful treatment of children?

Yeah, out come the misery martins (martinas) with the usual crap about how there were no proms in their day and that if a child lives in a dark crate for five years then it’s worth it if they’ve saved their 98-year-old great grandma with dementia.

My ds had no graduation, had his graduate training scheme job cancelled, has applied for masses of other jobs, been told that everything is online and no office presence, can’t travel anywhere, can’t meet any new people (like a girlfriend!) and is now sinking into a depression. But, hey! Who cares! In 1621 he would have been a farm labourer and half dead already.

"Everywhere is not open when it comes to children. Near me the pools have not reopened. Nor the libraries. Classes for small children are operating with significant restrictions. The play cafe has closed down because it’s not viable with restrictions in place. The soft play will probably go bust if it has to do another summer in the current situation. But sure, my 3 year old will love a trip to Yates’ wine lodge and a whiz round John Lewis."

Exactly. A soft play near us has permanently closed, a popular local annual event for families and children has stopped for good, some activities for children have reopened/restarted, but it's the free/cheap community activities, play sessions and swimming pools that are still closed. As ever, it's families on lower incomes who suffer the most.

@IrmaFayLear

Yeah, out come the misery martins (martinas) with the usual crap about how there were no proms in their day and that if a child lives in a dark crate for five years then it’s worth it if they’ve saved their 98-year-old great grandma with dementia.

My ds had no graduation, had his graduate training scheme job cancelled, has applied for masses of other jobs, been told that everything is online and no office presence, can’t travel anywhere, can’t meet any new people (like a girlfriend!) and is now sinking into a depression. But, hey! Who cares! In 1621 he would have been a farm labourer and half dead already.

Completely agree. Very sorry about your DS's situation. It's not a competition but I do think the young people his age have had it particularly bad

@JaniieJones

' I had no idea of the perpetual misery, pessimism and anxiety that a lot of people exist in'

I know! We're living a half life, no SPORTS DAYS, bubz isn't having a leavers assembly, no nightclubs for out traumatised teens. I mean purleeeeease.

Everywhere is open! Shops, cafes restaurants. Hospitalisations are staying down. Swap the half life crap for a bit of optimism!

Agree.

My dcs were remarking that you rarely see a teenager out and about. The local sixth form college has been online only all year. There must be a lot of isolated young people and vitamin d deficiency as they are all slumped in their bedrooms on social media.

'But yeah, everything’s normal innit, cos JaniieJones can go to Wetherspoons and I should be optimistic!'

No, everything is not normal, but stop catastrophising. Things are improving. We aren't locked indoors with all leisure and hospitality shut.

Wtf is wrong with wetherspoons anyway? For someone wanging on about 'competitive sneering' it would ironically seem a rather sneering comment tbh.

Not sure why you’re firing questions at me giraffe. I’m not disagreeing with you but the OP did make it pretty clear it was more about emotional fallout than educational even if the title didn’t stipulate this.

In any event I do think the very young children and the older teens have missed out the most in many ways and they wouldn’t be covered by the government funding anyway.

'My dcs were remarking that you rarely see a teenager out and about'

Bollocks.

Or perhaps some handwringing parents have brainwashed a few into thinking life is now worthless because toddler play cafe is shut.

Our dc are in and out constantly, groups of friends having bbqs and having fun. It has not been a barrel of laughs for anyone but fgs show some positivity and it will rub off on them.

Everyone positive here. Still not ready to do the better than down the mines as so many are.

And still agree with pp that much if this is self preservation and adults before dc.

'In any event I do think the very young children and the older teens have missed out the most in many ways and they wouldn’t be covered by the government funding anyway.'

We have all 'missed out'. I would suggest those who have had it worst are disabled people reliant on others who have had to cope with fleeting visits from hcps keeping their distance in full ppe. Or the 50 yr olds in icu for weeks not seeing relatives, being scared and alone. Deaf people struggling even more with communication when out shopping so excuse me if I'm struggling to see the tragedy of a 3yr old missing music with mummy.

Young people and teens have had their activities curtailed but if you've brought them up to be glass half full types they will have had a moan, adapted and got on with it.

That dismissive, impatient, hostile attitude is exactly where the problem lies.

A three year old missing music is a little thing. But three year olds are also little.

Actually, for their development and well-being, 3-4 year olds need more stimulation and interaction than they get from being at home. That's why the government provides 15 hours funded childcare for all 3-4 year olds including those with a SAHP. In the first lockdown, when childcare settings were closed to the vast majority, and 3-4 year olds had to stay at home apart from a daily walk (and sometimes walk past a play area they weren't allowed into). So you can sneer all you like at the music classes, but children need something to do.

Of course, most (not all) childcare settings have been open during subsequent lockdowns, and thank goodness they have, since it's the only place 0-5 year olds have been able to go for a very long time.

'That dismissive, impatient, hostile attitude is exactly where the problem lies.'

Oh please how on earth is pointing out Deaf people struggling with communication with face covers is far worse then a kid missing a leavers assembly or a toddler missing singalong. The truth is inconvenient isn't it. 3 years olds need love and play, it does not matter if that play is in soft play or in their house. Soft play is nice for parents of course. We are allowed to see people, they can get 'interaction and stimulation' from family and friends. Or must it always be a special
class?!

'Of course, most (not all) childcare settings have been open during subsequent lockdowns'

Exactly!

Try to shift the blinkered focus from our poor kids.