2021 – a brand new year and yet here we are again. Still in lockdown, still adjusting to the ‘new normal’ and still trying to navigate our way through everything that COVID-19 still continues to throw at us – including the prospect of another 6 weeks of homeschooling – at least!
We have been dealing with these changes to our freedoms and behaviours for coming up to 12 months now and like many people across the globe, our actions now have certainly made me questions some of the lifestyle choices and ways we behaved pre-COVID. I don’t just mean how we’ve learnt to appreciate the little things or valuing experiences over ‘things’ – although clearly that is the case – I mean questioning why we ever thought doing certain things was a good idea in the first place!
Let me explain… Here are some of the things we did Pre-COVID that in hindsight were never going to be a good idea.
Doctors Surgeries
Feeling ill? Let’s go to the doctors. Let’s go and sit in a poorly ventilated space with lots of other strangers who are also feeling really shit with unknown, yet to be diagnosed illnesses. Let’s sit side by side on very small, tightly packed plastic chairs and cough and splutter over each other for good measure, sharing a well fingered magazine with every other patient who has been in the surgery that day. If we are feeling really brave, let our kids play with the little wooden toy with beads that are desperate to be touched by poorly kids. That will end well.
Birthday Cakes
Celebrating the birthday of your germ infested beauty? Let’s invite all our friends and loved ones over for a massive party. To really get the party started, let’s share some yummy chocolate cake that our child has literally just BLOWN ALL OVER whilst we dance and cheer in their success. In no other setting would you voluntarily eat a meal that someone had most likely spat all over, yet for birthdays not only will we happily sit and tuck in, but we even take an extra piece home in a serviette to eat later incase the first set of germs didn’t quite make it to their destination. That will end well.
Soft Play Centres
*Shudder* – What could be better than a soft play centre full of loads of other peoples kids? Not only do these kiddy traps come with their own poor ventilated eco system, but feature approximately 2485 plastic balls that have been most likely been spat/pissed/pooped/sicked on by numerous other children. Parents sit chatting with their Mum friends whilst watching their child lovingly dive face first into this large cess pit of plastic before attempting to eat the red ball that seconds earlier had been retrieved from the inside of little Johnny’s nappy. That will end well.
Shake a strangers hand
We all know that pre-COVID many people would fail to wash their hands when they went the loo yet British pleasantries dictate than when meeting a complete stranger for the first time, you should vigorously shake their hand, with absolutely zero knowledge of their standards of personal hygeine. Take your average interview. Not only did we shake sweaty hands with that potentially piss covered palm, but then sit for an hour with our germy hand, repeatedly mopping it against our anxious brow. That will end well.
Finger Buffets
We all have that one family member who cant just pick out a chip, but has to rummage around for the best choice of chip before committing to their decision . At a buffet, chances are you’re sharing with lots of other Auntie Hildas who like to do exactly the same. So that chip you’ve just eaten? Previously fingered by another 6 germ riddled thumbs – and there’s a phrase I never thought I’d write on a parenting blog. Not so yummy now.
What other things did you do pre-COVID that feel completely alien now?
