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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Campaign to highlight how mad WFH with kids is during lockdown

115 replies

UntamedShrew · 09/05/2020 14:56

Hi MNHQ

Please have a read of this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3902119-is-it-just-me-or-is-this-working-from-home-with-children-completely-unsustainable?pg=6

I don’t know what the answer is, I just know this is having a terrible impact on parental and child mental health.

Possibly government policy to ensure parents’ get some paid leave to care for children and that jobs are protected If they do so?
Some talk of relaxing lockdown so families can share the load?
And definitely, definitely, a meme about wine o’clock and a suggestion to get the play dough out or try bbc bite size is NOT going to cut it.

Other ideas on the thread, do have a read.

Can you help?

OP posts:
Chokablok · 10/05/2020 23:16

Well....

The Scottish Government is doing a consultation and I posted my thoughts and ended up with quite a spectacularly low rating.

So up here, there doesn't seem to be much concern for how this is affecting children's mental health.

www.ideas.gov.scot/covid-19-a-framework-for-decision-making/prioritise-children2019s-mental-health

The most popular ideas are about opening the golf courses..... priorities.

Givemeabreakpls · 10/05/2020 23:26

Throwing my weight behind this. I’m so tired of being effectively told to ‘get on with it’ when I’m a single mother working from home trying to juggle work, homeschooling, shopping for elderly parents, as well as fit in the daily cleaning, cooking etc. I muddled along for a while but i feel so incredibly guilty every day that I’m just doing the basics in every area. My child and my employer deserve better than I can muster long-term.

Focusanddetermination · 11/05/2020 11:16

Yes please, lone parent working full time from home and like the pp I just feel I can't do anything well. It's exhausting, and while I have a reasonably decent employer they still don't fully get it, this shows up in the small micro interactions not the big messages they put out. I'm really worried about the impact of this on parents, despite working our asses off through this lockdown.

MarshaBradyo · 11/05/2020 11:20

The flow appears to be away from more state help towards tapering this off. I can’t see it reversing for certain groups.

GoldenOmber · 11/05/2020 13:09

At this point I’m not even asking for state help in any particular form. I’d just like some acknowledgement and the feeling that we’re on the radar of someone, somewhere. The only advice I have seen to parents in official government communications at the moment is “why not try baking something new with the kids?”

Original poster
UntamedShrew · 11/05/2020 13:18

Does anyone know how to get this seen by MMHQ?

OP posts:
CinnabarRed · 11/05/2020 21:42

@UntamedShrew - report your post.

Original poster
UntamedShrew · 11/05/2020 22:44

I’ve done that. Maybe MNHQ also finding it impossible to work with the kids around Grin

OP posts:
MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 12/05/2020 15:31

Hello

Very sorry it's taken us a while to get to this - as some of you will know we've had to furlough some staff at MNHQ and cut back on lots of activity so we're moving a bit more slowly than usual.

We haven't read all the posts yet but also wanted to quickly say we're really sorry to see that some of you are having an extremely tough time of it.

We'll have a good read and see if we think there's something we can do. Please bear with us.

CinnabarRed · 21/05/2020 19:53

@RowanMumsnet - where did you get to on this?

MabelX · 21/05/2020 19:59

The only problem is of course that you can’t say it’s ok for parents to only work five hours a day without saying it’s ok for all employees as otherwise it’s indirect discrimination.

DemolitionBarbie · 29/05/2020 09:04

There should be a legal requirement to consider and allow for the impact of this insane juggling act when companies are making decisions about redundancies, promotions, etc.

But this government will not give a flea's shit about it, it's still releasing possible Covid-19 patients into care homes, it's not exactly humane.

MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 29/05/2020 11:04

[quote CinnabarRed]@RowanMumsnet - where did you get to on this?[/quote]
Hello - we've co-signed this letter with the Fawcett Society and lots of other groups asking the PM to act on this week's IFS study and recognise properly funded childcare provision as the essential economic infrastructure it is (much like, in our opinion, road, rail, and broadband provision).

We've Tweeted about it here if any of you are on Twitter and would like to give us an RT.

We're also collecting some stats at the moment about what our users say about how this crisis has impacted on their careers and we're going to try to make some media hay with that - recognising that as many of you have said, some women/families have been affected worse than others because of their circumstances.

meringue33 · 29/05/2020 13:10

Great thank you. Where is the user survey?

meringue33 · 29/05/2020 13:13

Could there be a petition to go alongside the open letter so we can all effectively co sign too?

CinnabarRed · 29/05/2020 20:46

Thank you. I’ve retweeted and liked.

MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 02/06/2020 15:02

Sorry for the delayed response.

The survey was in a widget at the side of the screen - it's closed now but the numbers do seem to show that the MNers who responded are worried about the impacts of lockdown on their careers, in lots of cases.

We're going to run a bigger survey soon with more detail soon - we can't really flag it up to you directly because it would skew the results if we encouraged a particular group of users to take part. (But in general, my understanding is that if you join our Insight Panel you get shown most of our surveys!)

One other thing that some of you might be up for - when we think about doing stories like this for the press, one thing that can really help is having a couple of case studies. That means people whose own lives reflect the story the journalist is writing about. Ideally these people are willing to have their photos taken and generally be publicly identifiable.

Fully understand why lots of you may not want to do this for various reasons, but if any of you might be up for it in principle do let us know - you can email us on [email protected] - you wouldn't be committing to anything, just letting us know that you're cautiously interested.

Thanks

gapp · 09/06/2020 19:02

There are so many more threads of this today with the news that schools will be closed until September for many

Not one journalist asked a question on how working parents are supposed to manage until then with no childcare

Many people trying to hold down professional demanding roles will be forced to resign

Companies are expecting many childcare related resignations .. in many cases this will save redundancy costs

What is the government doing?

gapp · 09/06/2020 19:03

How the hell are parents meant to work? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3933363-How-the-hell-are-parents-meant-to-work

gapp · 09/06/2020 19:06

We need to rise up about the lack of education for our children www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3931427-We-need-to-rise-up-about-the-lack-of-education-for-our-children

gapp · 09/06/2020 19:12

To think working from home and looking after//home schooling kids is unsustainable until sept! http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3926380-to-think-working-from-home-and-looking-after-home-schooling-kids-is-unsustainable-until-sept

AgentCooper · 09/06/2020 19:41

Adding my support. The way things are is completely unsustainable and damaging.