Informal childcare - now it’s ok

This is all in the interests of the economy - compare with the situation in the first lockdown when the effects on the economy weren't known - now they are and it's accepted that the least disruption to the economy the better so grandparents are now allowed to pick up purely for their use value. Personally, I feel that all grandparents who have been unable to see their grandchildren because of bubble arrangements and who want to do that should nominate themselves as childminders and take the opportunity to do the school pick up. Who is ever going to question that, and it might do a lot for the mental health of families that seems to have been forgotten.

I care for my grandson two days a week, travelling to his home to do so. It’s the only way that my daughter and son-in-law can continue to work (both are still able to work from home). We try to limit contact with other people to make it as safe as possible for all of us. If I was prevented from helping out one of them would have to take time off work as a two year old isn’t conducive to working from home.

I should have said I’m a reasonably healthy 56 year old, so not as vulnerable as some other grandparents who are called upon to childmind.

Growstuff I find myself in agreement with you again . I do think, however, we may as well wait till 8 o’clock tonight to see exactly what BoJo has to announce although how exact it will be may be another matter.

I think we all need to use our common sense to reduce the risk as much as possible but for me if that means a tiny bend in the rules so be it - I’m lucky that I’ll see my GC as SiL away working so D and GC in our support bubble but even if we weren’t and I was needed I’d be there for them. Family are all taking very few risks - GC showers and changes clothes after school, no hugs, kisses or close contact. I also think too little heed has been given to emotional and mental health of all age groups, there has to be a sensible balance .....and don’t get me started on GPs, dentists and hospitals giving a very, very reduced service....grrrrr. Some of the stories are heartbreaking.

Dwmxwg

You only have to look around at the school gate to see how many grandparents look after their grandchildren. I continued to do so all through lockdown as my daughter is a single parent and a nurse. Just a case of using common sense which is what the government have been urging us to do from the beginning of this pandemic.

Exactly!! People complain that the government are treating us like children........it’s because people are acting like children and need to be directed as to what to do.
Every one of us is able to look at, assess, weigh up the risks in our own families/environments. This then allows each of us to make our own”moveable” decisions as times, risks and rules change to enable us to feel safe, keep rules but...Live our lives to the best of our ability.

I expected more anger on this topic. So many grandparents have been agonising for months about not being able to meet their grandchildren, and now told they should look after them so that parents can go to work.

I can tell mine are back at school, whole family now down with colds again, and this is how it will be until half term and Christmas holidays. We are all ill continually throughout term times. Oh well at least it is helping the economy - kleenex and Tena lady make a fortune from me!

Many many older people have little choice. Poor government has made it thus.
Young adults in their 20s, 30s & even 40s are still coming home from work exposing their older parents to covid risk because they can't afford to move out & buy a home of their own- even the well-educated ones.
When they do manage to set up home & have children the only way they can survive is via free childcare from the same older parents.
The cosy image of grandma in her rocker singing a young baby to sleep is a far cry from the reality I see & know - frazzled 60+year old grandma's pushing buggies to the school to collect another grandchild or two, dashing home for the next feed.
If grandma says no, there'll be no roof over her adult child's head, no roof over her grandchild's head- what kind of choice is that?

Dwmxg - i agree. I have too and i will still. The school days are very short but no afterschool clubs so we just have to roll up our sleeves.

I was feeling fairly optimistic till I came and read these posts. ie. optimistic, that the media has already announced pubs etc to close at 10 pm. and Boris will just confirm that and then give us all a pep talk, and warning...

now I don`t know "whah" that is me crying! LOL

so I am a gp to 4 kids, my bubble! another "whah"
the youngest is soon to be 12 "whah" so now I will be banned from meeting with them, unless the eldest (nearly 22) goes off and vacates his home..

just saying!

Typical unclear announcement again- Hancock said in the extra lockdown areas - so presumably not if your area is not in extra lockdown! Which obviously is ridiculous surely. So where the infection is higher you can but not in lower infection areas!

If we are to have a lock down again surely it would be best over the Xmas period.

By that time three-quarters of the population will either have had the virus or be suffering from it!
The lockdown is to try to stop spread.

As children under 11 in Wales don't count towards the six, can I have the whole of DGD's school bubble around to play at half-term?

The rules are rather baffling.

I could not agree with you more. I feel boxed into a corner now by the government. Its lovely to see grandchildren but do you want to be taking the risk so often - personally no but I know my family would not understand so I have to do it.

allule

I expected more anger on this topic. So many grandparents have been agonising for months about not being able to meet their grandchildren, and now told they should look after them so that parents can go to work.

Is that really what we have been told? I thought Matt Hancock was saying that where Grandparents already help out with childcare, it will be allowed to continue, unlike in the previous lock down. I don't think he meant that grandparents should be used as cheap child care en masse.

Mamma7

I think we all need to use our common sense to reduce the risk as much as possible but for me if that means a tiny bend in the rules so be it - I’m lucky that I’ll see my GC as SiL away working so D and GC in our support bubble but even if we weren’t and I was needed I’d be there for them. Family are all taking very few risks - GC showers and changes clothes after school, no hugs, kisses or close contact. I also think too little heed has been given to emotional and mental health of all age groups, there has to be a sensible balance .....and don’t get me started on GPs, dentists and hospitals giving a very, very reduced service....grrrrr. Some of the stories are heartbreaking.

So let's all bend the rules just a little to suit ourselves, then how will the infection rate decrease? But who cares, we can just blame the government as it won't be our fault!

It's a good job not everybody thinks that way as we would be in even more mess than we are now.

Just grow up and accept that action needs to be taken to reduce the number of new cases even if you don't like it - it really isn't a joke.

It is what it is - informal, grandparental childcare is a very important pillar for the economy, they really had no choice to allow this.

Teacheranne , Mamma7 is not bending or breaking the rules under these guidelines

This is all about the economy. I’ve looked after my various gcs on a regular basis until March of this year, but my family have said that under no circumstances will they allow that to happen now. They would not be able to live with themselves if I caught Covid. I did see them regularly all through but from a distance in the garden. That’s entirely different from collecting from school and being indoors with them.

In the North East our local council petitioned the government to implement a curfew and restrictions on households getting together. What they failed to acknowledge is the number of grandparents here that take on childcare duties. In order to allow parents to continue working and for people to adhere to the guidelines local MPs for Durham, Sunderland and Berwick petioned the government to allow informal childcare.

I think the new guidelines for grandparents and childcare, announced yesterday, applies just to those areas with tighter restrictions currently in place.

People moaned when they weren't allowed to see their grandchildren, now they are moaning they can help out. No countries can financially survive continual lockdowns. Don't get out of bed in a morning if you want to avoid all risks in life, although staying in bed produces other risks!

In years to come, it will probably show more people died of lockdown restrictions because they died prematurely of other diseases which could have be treated but treatments were delayed, than were saved by lockdown rules.

We are all individuals with different family commitments. One size does not fit all, the government know this and that is why they are “guidelines”. Hands, face and space. I believe if we keep to to that and minimise our “social” contacts we are doing our bit to protect the vulnerable. In the real world we cannot all stay at home until a safe vaccine is found

I'm happy with this. It affected our grandson so much during lockdown, i wouldn't like him to go through it again

The risk is no less now than it was in the beginning. In fact for grandparent carers it is even more risky because children will be associating in groups of more than six, as will (potentially) their parents That give two sources of risk from the same household. Aside from the longing to see and hug DGC it means that grannies can be thrown under the bus to get the economy going!!