Children so fed up, no school, nothing to do, nothing to look forward to......

[dingledongle]

Talking to my son tonight,he is twelve, and up until now he has been doing ok, completing work set on google classroom, playing in the garden, going on his x-box. But tonight he told me he is so bored....

This is not the 'Mum, I'm bored' of a little boy but a young teenager not seeing a future ☹️

We talked about school and his work, talking to friends on the phone and x-box'. He has an older sibling and his Dad here with me too , however we are running out of ideas!

I have just looked at the National Trust as I thought I would take them both out mid week for a compete change of scene- it's all fully booked!

Concessions seem to be being made for other groups but please tell me I am not alone in worrying for our young people, where is there future in all this pickle 🤷‍♀️

Yeah it's pretty shit. Is he not meeting up with friends now? My kids are meeting their friends outside - DS went for a walk in the woods with a friend from primary school and DD met her friends for a picnic today.

Are you in the UK?

You know he can go and meet a friend, as long as they socially distance. My teens have really valued this.

Is he in a routine ?

Would he go on a bike ride with a friend ?

I have a 12 , 15 and 18 year old they have been meeting friends for walks or in their gardens. It’s done them the world of good.
None of them feel their is no future , maybe you need to encourage him to meet up with some of his peers if he feels this way.

I think it is me that is feeling there is no future to be honest!

I have suggested a bike ride tonight and he has said about finishing of an air fix thing he started ages ago!

We had a talk earlier today about getting in to a better routine as they have begun to get up later the longer this has gone on. Both are getting their work done but are home birds.

I will try something new every day just to encourage a change of scene for them- it is hard going though- as they are not always keen!

Lockdown will end when it's safe OP it's not forever.
We drive to our local town where the children's school is today. We walked round and had an ice cream. It lifted everyone's sprits. My daughter met up with a friend. They had a chat whilst physically distancing.

It’s fine if they have friends. Awful if school was their main social contact. It leaves a massive gap.

My, very much older teens (at the end of those years), are really enjoying the easing of lockdown. Going for walks, hanging out in the park with friends, having a laugh. My DS 17 is quite sunburnt today. Its really made a difference. Can you encourage your DC to get out and meet friends? They should be out having fun.

You haven't said which part of the UK you're in, but zoos can reopen in England from Monday (though most will take a bit longer to make things safe). I don't know if that's something he'd enjoy? If you can afford it of course - entry isn't cheap.

Can you set him a challenge - there's loads of online medal things you can sign up for. 100 miles in a month in his bike for example. Or complete Couch to 5K.

How about a life skills list to complete - get him to plan and cook family meals twice a week, iron a shirt, wire a plug, check the oil in your car etc.

Get him to learn to read a map, plan a family walk uaing a compass, look into local geocaches etc.

It depends on his needs and interests but there's so many things you can do to give him purpose and a view beyond the horizon. Good luck.

My dc school friends are not local and I am finding that understandably different people
Have different views
About meeting up. So not necessarily easy to arrange meet-ups.

My young teen is finding it so emotionally challenging. They thrived in a school learning environment and struggle daily with self motivation to basically self-teach. No teachers have been in contact, feedback is sporadic, marking not always done. They relied on classes in or to be motivated to do sports as they have no real interest in exercise.

The friendship dramas seem to have worsened to the point they have mostly given up on them as communication via texts just seem to get dramatic and out of hand.

They don't all have the same schedules to allow for face to face interactions (at 2m at the park or whatever) so even some light relief fooling around is becoming harder to facilitate.

The structure of school for so many was a vital tool for so much more than academic learning- the impact is suffering. We have lost a family member to COVID and know all too well the enormity of this whole horrible situation but it is so tough.

You have my sympathies OP. Keep going.

• relied on PE classes that should say

Don't think this is unique to teens. We have a newborn and we're the same. I saw a bunch of people queuing up for Starbucks and thought, how fucking sad this is an exciting thing to do now.

I have never been one to worry about my mental health but now I do. This is all so bloody depressing.

I think though as adults we can process it a bit better. For teens where everything is about the here and now, this is hard.
Plus DS14 had just been starting to do things independently like going to the gym, cinema and playing football. Also enjoyed getting the bus to places. All stripped away.
Hoping in Scotland groups of people will legally be allowed to meet outside in the announcements this week, then I can push him a bit more to spend time with his friends in person rather than just online.

Teenagers and children do very much live in the moment: what is actually a short period to us is an eternity for them, especially as the government keeps stubbornly refusing to announce end dates for many of the restrictions. (When will we be playing recreational sport again; a vital way to keep many children and teenagers fit and healthy? There's not been a word on this.)

I remember very well the feeling that at the age of 11, I would be at school for SEVEN more years: that feels like a very long time! Also, to a 15-year-old who longs to be 18 and independent, three years feels like ages.

And as adults, it is hard to imagine a future for them. Children, teenagers and students have been well and truly shafted and forgotten by our glorious leaders, who have thrown billions at everything apart from them, and are likely to become young adults in the greatest recession in living memory; all for a virus which barely affects them.

My DD is really struggling. She is so scared about going anywhere but staying in the house and garden. Therefore she won't go out to meet friends she is scared she will catch COVID!!! We had huge seperation issues with her when she was about 12 she wouldn't go anywhere without an adult. Before lockdown she started going to the gym with a friend and the cinema and was just beginning to walk home alone from school without being on the phone to me the whole time. This has now put her back completely. It is a huge battle to get her out the house and some days I give up trying but when I get her out even for a walk as soon as we see anybody she becomes really paniky!! She has put so much weight on as well from just doing nothing. I really don't know what to do. The government seems to have forgotten our teenagers - there just seems to be no plan for them. I feel it is going to be really hard to integrate her back into society she has just lost all interest in anything!!! She was such a social little girl but when she had to become more independent and start doing things on her own she became really anxious about the world. She is still in bed and says there is no point in getting up as nothing to do!!! I know a few of her friends are meeting up in the park today but she is too scared too go!!! Sad times

Our youngsters have been ignored by policy makers! No matter, they don't vote so cannot make a stand