We are a family of five, one grown up daughter and two younger children who I care for
We are a family of five: myself, 39 and Type 1 diabetic; partner also 39; our daughter 19, who is an early years apprentice; and a five and a six-year-old on a kinship residency order.
I feel although things have changed significantly, and some days are harder than others, we are actually quite blessed. We have a house big enough to accommodate our individual needs and a small garden. If this wasn’t the case life would be tough.
We were offered a place a school for the kids, but I refused as we want to isolate as much as possible. The teacher phones once a week to check in and offer support. We have been asked about lunches and they are supplying weekly deliveries of frozen lunches. I also completed a survey from the school and as of today (13th May) we are getting a weekly grocery top up box. The school really has been exceptional! They are sending homework online but no pressure to complete it. This is great as it saves me from looking through the internet for the best/most appropriate stuff. They have also asked about whether we need help with accessing technology/internet. Although not sure what will happen here yet.
I am worried about the kids’ education as I can’t possibly fill the gap of a six-hour school day. I worry that I might be confusing the kids while trying to help them learn. I know I will have a massive problem with at least one child when it comes time to go back as they are very much "at home" staying in.
Physical health is a worry too. We are all putting on weight, being less active and less motivated as the days go on.
My partner is self-employed and at first this was a real worry for income as I do not work (we are not on benefits). Luckily, he has had a grant from the local authority, so that has taken that pressure away for the moment. But the longer this goes on, the longer is business is at risk.
The 19-year-old was in a long-term relationship before this so it’s hitting her hard, not being able to see her other half. I worry about her mental health the most. Also, it’s exceptionally hard for her not being with her friends even though they have all the technology going to still see one another. Thankfully, she has been kept quite busy with her course work. She has also been called in as a key worker a few days here and there at the hub. This was a big worry for me, but she has followed guidance to minimise the risks.
We are very lucky in that we have beautiful walks on our doorstep. If we didn’t life would be a strain when it comes to our daily exercise. Although admittedly there have been days where we have just not been bothered to go out at all. Our bills are being paid so that's good, but energy consumption has gone up.
The humdrum of constantly doing domestics around the house is a drain.
Our household has pretty much all it can in the way of internet and subscription TV as my family have shared their subscriptions with us.
I have alleviated my own boredom with a project; I have started doing the family tree, which I feel has benefited me greatly.
The really hard part for me is not being able to be with my elderly parents who live 12 miles away. But thankfully I can phone.
I think the hardest thing about all this is the not knowing, the worry of worrying about everything and anything. The lack of information, the misinformation, the confusion caused by the UK government.
I've organised my will and talked about the ‘what if’. It’s been bitter at times thinking about ‘what if’, and how others would cope/carry on. So, it's been vitally important to stop myself going down that rabbit hole. We all know life will get back on track, but we can’t see how things will ever get back to what they were. Now we worry about what's to come, a massive recession or depression.
But I think we are very lucky in this house as we are managing well for now and grateful for what we have. I know others will be struggling significantly with day to day life at the moment.