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How the Tables Have Turned

Having been on the receiving end of endless lectures and rants from our nagging parents for the majority of our lives, us millennials have become accustomed to the verbal repercussions of not doing that which we are told. So why is it that we now find ourselves pulling our hair out at the frustration of our parent’s stubborn determination to continue to leave the house? Anna shares her opinions on adults not staying at home during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

These past weeks I have been exhausted at the constant chore of reminding my mum that she does not need to go to the shop every day, and that no, it does not matter if you’re in and out in five minutes, because it takes a second to catch it, and every time you step out of the house I live in constant fear. Wow, now I really do sound like her. It’s as if I’m in the film Freaky Friday, except without the benefits of being Lindsay Lohan, and with all of the very scary paranoia that comes with the Coronavirus. Having tirelessly scrolled through Twitter, I discovered I am not alone in my child/parent fiasco, but millennials across the UK are perplexed, why aren’t our parents listening to us? And more importantly, why aren’t they listening to the government?

Parents, have you not listened to anything you’ve taught us? When you’re told not to do something, don’t do it.

Maybe it’s because we are more frightened than they are, as we have never experienced anything like this before, and while our parents haven’t lived through wars, they have experienced hardships to which we are ignorant of, I recall my mum recently retelling the story of how the UK lived without electricity for weeks in the 1970s, and that the country survived that. Unfortunately mum, this is rather different. The Coronavirus is an anomaly that we could not anticipate: it is scary, and while some may say that the media are generating too much fear in the public, what they are doing is right, because ultimately, we should be afraid. With the government advising us to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, I continue to witness people going to work despite the fact that they are able to work from home, and my mum inviting the family round because its Sunday and we always do that on a Sunday. The response I get when I raise my voice at this act is not the call of cancelation that I wish to hear, but instead my mum retorting that the government haven’t banned that yet! Parents, have you not listened to anything you’ve taught us? When you’re told not to do something, don’t do it.

we cannot get over this unless we are together, united, and at home.

Admittedly, it’s not just adults going outside and breaking the ‘rules’. So, we must try our best to make our parents, our siblings, our friends and anyone we can listen. Parents, if you’re reading this: listen to your kids. Listen to the government. Stay home. It’s hard we know, we’re struggling too. But we cannot get over this unless we are together, united, and at home. Think of the doctors and nurses struggling in the NHS, think of those who are frightened, even if you are not, and most importantly, think of your kids. This is important. Stay home.

Anna Evdokimou

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Featured image courtesy of digboston on Flickr. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.

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