We went into the first lockdown 11 months ago. We’ve had 3 lockdowns, we’ve had tier systems and we’ve had so much online learning.

We’ve just had half term, although it hasn’t been much of a half term. The teen isn’t coping well. He doesn’t like online learning, he doesn’t want to leave the house, he doesn’t really want to leave his room. He is 16. He has spent most of the last year in some form of lockdown or tier system. He can’t go out and see friends. He can’t have friends to his house. He can’t moan about his boring parents to his friends. He can’t share teen jokes or have teen conversations. He can’t laugh with his friends – and he can’t argue with them, or fall out or be annoyed by people. He can stay at home.

I understand that there are lots of people really struggling with the worry of what the government may say tomorrow. Some worry we may come out of lockdown too soon, others that it will be too slow. Some don’t want schools to reopen as that can spread the virus, others want school to reopen as the children need to go back.

Imagine being a teenager in 2021. Imagine not seeing friends. Imagine not leaving the house more than once a day (because that’s the law, not because you choose to). Imagine sitting in front of a computer screen every day unable to eye roll at a friends when the teacher says something. Imagine struggling in a lesson but the teacher can’t see your slumped shoulders and so thinks you’re doing ok. Imagine every day being the same, the same four walls, the same conversations with the same people you see all day every day and have done for the past 11 months. Imagine those rebellious years when you are supposed to be taking risks and pushing boundaries spent sitting in your room. Imagine being stuck with your parents all the time with no break, no one to moan to about them and their older people ‘jokes’. Imagine not knowing what the summer assessments will be like, not knowing what to revise for. Imagine feeling so low and fed up with the situation you don’t want to revise or learn, you just want to sit in your room and stare at the ceiling. Imagine how hard it is for our teens in 2021.

I don’t want our son to be at risk. I don’t want him to bring Covid back home. I don’t want him to feel he is putting us at risk.

I do want him to have conversations with people his own age. I do want him to laugh and share teen jokes with his peers. I do want him to be annoyed by others in his year. I do want him to engage with teachers and learn to love learning again. I do want him to tell us stories about what he’s been up to that lunchtime. I do want him to be able to be a teen.