A positive thread on Harry and Meghan (aka Thread 6)

[Mummy195]

@rousette

I'm sure you won't mind that your excellent link gets 'pinned'.

Some of the things MM did before marrying H.

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1282990766097301504.html

Thanks jeff.
Yes, I have assimilated that remedy!

DS2 is about 3 weeks older than Archie and has really suffered due to lockdown. He was just starting to go soft play and play group when the pandemic began. Luckily for him, he had an older brother (19 months older than him) to play with so he always had some type of peer socialisation. But we really noticed how much he had suffered socially when the lockdown began to ease and he didn't want to leave the house or interact with his grandparents/family/friends. It took us a while for him to get use to interacting with his extended family (we're talking grandparents here: he used to scream bloody murder when my mum dared to look at him), and just as we started to make progress we're put on local lockdown again and were dreading what this is going to do for his development.

I appreciate that Archie lives in a big house with a big garden and all, but babies need to learn to explore the world around them and interact with other children and people outside their family. Otherwise they will lose the opportunity to develop important social skills and may become overly attached to their parents and develop social anxiety. This is why playgroup and soft play exists, as well as for cognitive development skills.

Of course I don't know the exact lockdown situation in LA but surely it was permitted to go outside for walks?! There are so many beach and canyon areas in California there has to be a place to go for a safe trip if they really wanted to.

Pretty sure parks have been open for a while now.. surely they could have a nanny or similar take him out and no one would know who he was? They could still have discreet security following. I mean, he needs to play and socialise or at least see other children doing this.

H and M have been photographed going for a walk a while back. Nothing to stop them taking Archie in a backpack. I feel really sorry for that child. What an unnatural way to grow up.

Ov .

To be honest, I have to say that I don’t think we should speculate about Archie, but I think the argument that he in any way is unhappy is rubbish, I will just elaborate slightly why.

He is just over 1. Children in that age don’t really play that much with each other, they tend to play next to each other if I recall correctly. They need stimulation, but this can be talking to adults, reading books, exploring rooms, playing with pots in the kitchen, drawing, etc,etc,etc.

My youngest started nursery at 2.5 and she wasn’t very interested in any children except her siblings up until then. She much preferred playing/talking/walking with me (exhausting, but lovely. Play groups was for my benefit, a place where I could relax when she explored safely on her own and I had two hours staring into nothing).

What children in that age really benefit from (in my opinion) is (a) loving adult(s) who spent a lot of time with them. Archie has at least three in a gigantic house with a garden.

And there is quite a pandemic in LA....

All this playgroup, baby group and soft play stuff is a v recent phenomenon & I suspect mainly for the parents benefit. Small children always used to just hang out at home/with immediate family until they started school. Archie is in a lovely large house with loving parents & granny, I really don’t think posters need to concern themselves about his welfare.

@TheNavigator Up to a point I agree with you . My DC are in their 30s and in those days ( 1980s) Maternity Leave was much shorter . I was back at work before mine were 4 months old so the time from the birth was spent recovering and simply caring for the baby - no time for anything other than walks . And I don’t think either of them suffered from lack of baby groups.
I think where I might disagree is that it would be nice to take Archie to a beach or out on the walks with dogs , simply for a different environment.
I am sure Archie is well loved and catered for but I admit to just a tinge of sadness when I read that he hadn’t been out in public.

Who said this in the court papers? Was it part of HaM’s complaint, that they hadn’t taken him out for privacy and now his privacy is being compromised in his own garden?

Are friends going over to the Tyler Perry house instead? That would make sense.

how do we know he has not been out? are we really going down the route of saying that now.
baby groups are overrated. took mine and they really were not that much fun.

It was H and M’s lawyer who stated that

In their invasion of privacy lawsuit, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are trying to ‘unmask’ the photographer or photographers who they said not only took the photos, but also supplied a misleading caption claiming they were taken during a ‘public outing.’

'In fact, Archie has not been in public since the family arrived here,’ added Kump.

Samcro. It is no it people here saying that he hasn't been out. It is in the submission to the courts complaint about the drone intrusion. The statement was in the complaint documents

Samcro, I think playgroups can be a blessing for a parent (chat to other parents, safe environment).

For the child, other activities are as much fun and from a socialisation point of view, constant chatter with a parent and being shown and explained the world is probably better.

Beautiful though the house and pool look, it doesn't seem to have masses of outdoor space. Not that I'd mind staying there!

Baby groups, seeing family etc. were essential for my sanity when DC were babies - as was an early return to work! I know I would have felt differently though if I had DH and my mum living with me.

Me too ajandjjmum 😀

Yes I agree that one year olds don‘t need as much social contact (play groups, play dates) as many may think. However just going out for a walk or change of scenery seems like common sense. Even in the depths of lockdown we managed a short walk every 14 days, and it did wonders for our mental health. Obviously a 14mil estate is different but there‘s a psychological boundary of being “home“ vs “going out“. This is also for the parents and I think that in the past 8 months there has been quite a number of stressors followed by poorly advised, impulsive actions on their end.

There was actually a thread on AIBU a while back where the poster described a friend who hasn’t taken her children outside for months and the replies were suitably shocked.

Very true @TheNavigator. I think baby and toddler groups are overrated but my dcs did need a run around the park every day.

I know toddler groups etc are not essential for baby's emotional development but I think it is a shame. We have all seen the look of delight on our toddler's faces when they spot an animal at the zoo, or the look of curiousness on their face as they see other adults walking past and waving/smiling at them. It is sad he isnt having these little moments.

Yes, it's more about the change of scene and outdoor space. Plus once toddlers are walking that becomes more of a necessity. Archie is coming up to 15 months now so is likely to be into everything. It's the age when a big garden is a blessing. TP's outside space is impressive but not that small child friendly.

There's a piece in the Mail that the NT aren't too happy about M's lack of involvement and effort in lobbying for theatres at this critical time in their history. It's a real worry for theatres at the moment. However why was the assumption made that M would be passionate about the arts? Ok she managed to make a living as a TV actress but she could hardly be described as a thespian.

I have said repeatedly on other threads that I am disappointed by Meghan not doing anything to big up the National Theatre, as their patron, during this awful time for theatre. It would be easy to do the kind of video message she's done for others. I'm not surprised they feel let down.

At the time she was appointed Patron of the NT there was a lot of grumbling that she was only a 'soap actor', which was a little harsh. Also, didn't she have a quick meeting with them when she left the UK in January, and didn't mention that they were moving on, which put a few noses out of joint.

Shame really, because it was a lovely, thoughtful thing of HM to do, to hand over the Meghan, as the theatre is one of her special interests.

@meercat23

Samcro. It is no it people here saying that he hasn't been out. It is in the submission to the courts complaint about the drone intrusion. The statement was in the complaint documents

thanks I didn't know that. that is a shame. H&M Must be well pissed that they can't take him out.

I think toddler and baby groups are more for the parents tbh. We had some fab ones when DS was tiny. I loved the structure they added to the day, and getting to know other mums in the area. But I can see how all of that could be fraught when you're famous. I remember reading an article about a very posh group in the US where all the members were A-listers. It was fascinating. It was like a private members' club but with tiny children in designer labels.
I missed all the alcohol on this thread yesterday . We had thunderstorms and torrential rain so we stayed in and watched the Umbrella Academy.

I think the reasoning behind why Archie has not been in public is probably what matters most but we will probably never know this.

I can understand if you've got access to a huge home and extensive land that during a pandemic you've got the luxury of being able to take more caution and for a shorter period it's probably not going to impact a child of Archie's age too much.

If it's because they don't want him seen or pictured in public then this would be more
concerning because how long would it go on for? Until school? Or would he be homeschooled anyway?

I must say that for all the criticism the British media get, from what I could tell none of them printed the picture of Archie. I think they are quite respectful where children are concerned (or are there legalities in the UK on this?). They often have the faces of celebrities' children blurred out.

Has a Meghan acted in a theatre as a professional actor? The NT is a different beast to tv acting. I just think MandH have just stopped thinking about anything much in the uk.

For most people, it’s seen as a good idea to take babies and toddlers out and about. It’s a chance to introduce words and language. Who doesn’t see their toddler enjoy seeing ducks on a pond or feeling sand between their toes or even having their first ice cream from a van? Seeing the countryside, going for walks, learning about what’s in the big wide world is part of development for a toddler. Being cooped up is very limiting.