Mean Girls comes to life in NSW in disastrous impact of friends bubble

For all the good intentions behind the creation of a “friends bubble”, the government overlooked a major social problem for our kids.

This week the New South Wales Government announced that children and teenagers 18 years and under can create a “friends bubble” to allow for home visits provided all adults in both households are fully vaccinated.

Like many other parents in the so-called Premier state, I got excited at the prospect of my children being able to spend time with their friends again. Then I read the fine print.

On the surface, I’ll concede that the idea was a sweet one. Of my three children, my youngest has suffered the most. While my 13 and 11-year-old boys keep each other entertained and often connect with their friends through online gaming, this has left my seven-year-old daughter bored and at times heartbreakingly sad.

Sure, we insist our boys spend time with their sister throughout the days, but it doesn’t stop her from feeling down about missing her friends and asking at bedtime how many more sleeps until she can go back to school.

The thing is though, the one kid that really needs the external socialisation, isn’t really going to get it in our case.

It can lead to bullying and exclusion

The NSW friends bubble has brought Mean Girls to life.

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Let’s entertain the idea and pretend I was willing to drop my daughter off at someone else’s house for a friends bubble playdate.

The prospect of having to invite another family to be part of our “trio” sends me right back to high school. What if she says no? What if they already have a bubble and we’re not part of it? And worse – What if my daughter’s two best friends are already a part of some other trio of girls and she’s left out?

The whole concept reeks of playground politics between both parents and children, and bullying is the last thing any of us need right now.

Parents on the Kidspot Facebook page just yesterday raised the issue of children being left out due to their unvaccinated parents. What about those who live in areas where it’s been difficult to get an appointment?

Emma is a mum of five on the central coast who did the right thing and booked in for her Pfizer vaccination as soon as she became eligible. Her dose was redirected to Year 12 students in Western Sydney which meant her only other option was to get the AstraZeneca jab. With a longer waiting period between the two doses, she’s currently awaiting her second appointment.

“My child is being socially excluded by the government despite me completely following all government health advice,” Emma said.

“I won’t be fully vaccinated until the end of October despite booking it in early June!”

The dump and run with young children

Claire was excited about the friends bubble at first. Source: Supplied

One of the rules associated with the new friends bubble is that parents cannot accompany their children on their playdates. It took a leap from primary school to high school and several years of getting to know parents before we even entertained the idea of dropping our eldest son off to spend time with his friends.

While this new allowance might be great for older teens, it’s essentially useless for those of us with younger kids. Quite simply, it doesn’t matter how badly my daughter needs this, it’s still not worth risking her safety over.

I spoke with other parents unwilling to drop their kid off at a friend’s place.

Jenna, a mum to a three-year-old boy said, “It’s basically just government-sanctioned babysitting!”

“I can see how if you had older kids or teenagers who regularly hung out at each other’s homes pre-lockdown, it would be a good thing. But for parents of younger children who have been stuck at home with their kids for months, this doesn’t really make sense.

“We likely need social interaction as much as they do, and what’s more, I don’t understand why – if we’re fully vaccinated – we can’t join our children for a playdate? I can’t take my son to visit my fully-vaccinated best friend and her kid in her own home, but my unvaccinated four-year-old can legally go visit the home of anyone he likes. It’s just madness.”

Where’s the logic?

Olivia (seven), Charlie (11) and Samuel (13). Source: Supplied

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There’s also the fuzzy logic behind allowing unvaccinated children to mingle between two other households when fully vaccinated adults are unable to.

Where’s the logic behind potentially having six other kids in our home when a fully-vaccinated aunty or older cousin still can’t visit?

Mum-of-two, Leah doesn’t understand it either, pointing out the potential exposure to multiple families at once.

“I’m so confused about how this bubble buddy works for parents with multiple children,” Leah said. “I get that they can choose two others to be in their bubble, but if you’ve got three kids, that’s six different families you could potentially be exposed to or exposing.”

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has spoken about finding the right balance between the best possible health outcomes while easing pressures on families living in lockdown.

“These latest changes are aimed at giving children more opportunities to be together and balances Covid safety with their mental health and wellbeing,” he said.

I get that our children are feeling isolated and they’re bored and many are struggling with their mental health at the moment, but this friends bubble just isn’t going to work for many families without putting more young children at risk.