Claire
Claire is a full-time university student and a mother of three children aged 8, 5 and 3. She coped well with lockdown. Her husband works for a Swedish engineering company and found it quite easy to transition to working from home.
Claire sitting at the kitchen table in front of a gallery wall with her three children. They often work here.
Claire sitting on a bed with white sheets reading a book.
“Then were told that [he] couldn’t return to school because I’m not a keyworker, and they’ve refused quite a lot of people a place because we’re not keyworkers. Which is frustrating when you know that a lot of children in the country have gone back.
I had a real dip earlier in the week because one of his friend’s mum said, ‘oh he’s had a fantastic first day back. They’ve played outside, they had three hour-long playtimes today and he really enjoyed seeing all his friends’. Meanwhile [he] is just here with me and I felt really cross that my decision as a parent was overruled because of my choices. I felt guilty about it, and my husband was saying, ‘but it’s not your fault’. I said, ‘yeah but if I’d have made different choices, if I was working, if I’d have made a different career he wouldn’t be being penalised.
And what if he doesn’t get to go back until September?’ And then they said, ‘oh no it might be October or November’. I said, ‘and that’s because I’m here, and if I was doing something more worthwhile with my life then he wouldn’t be missing out’.
And you have all these sort of really irrational thoughts. And I think, actually he’s fine, he is missing his friends but we’re not having meltdowns, I don’t think he’s anxious in any way, but it’s frustrating to know that other children are getting something that your child isn’t getting and being powerless to do anything about it.”