When will you allow play dates?

[Anonymous]

This thread is so insane to me. On both sides of the arguments. Why would you think it's not safe on May 8 and is safe on May 9? Why would you allow an arbitrary government policy to dictate your life and health of your children?

Take a look around you, do your research, determine your own risk and course of action. It's probably not going to look like anyone else's, and that's okay.

For us, we have been very strict and isolated, and I am going to try and visit grandparents soon for a couple of weeks, and when we get home, I will allow limited contact outdoors with neighbors. No calling and inviting other friends over, but I will open our contact to those who live nearby, on a limited basis.

I'm guessing it will be June/July, before we have further contact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be ok doing it now.

But will wait until the June 10th order is lifted

+1. Would do an outdoor playdate now if I knew any friends that also wanted to.

We’ve been doing outdoor play dates with our next door neighbors. Everyone is working from home with kids at home + wearing masks to the grocery store. I don’t post about it on Facebook or anything stupid because I don’t want comments. But we are complying with the order to limit gatherings to under 10 people and I figure it’s better to do a (relatively) low risk get together to keep our social distancing endurance up rather than strict isolation and burning out. Sort of like how people always fall off of strict diets.

Also, the funny thing is friends of mine who have been really judgy (over social media or text chains) about play dates or neighbor get togethers are the ones having their local parents/in-laws over to help with the kids. Neither we, nor our next door neighbors, have any family help. So occasionally letting our kids run around together outside basically is our “help” to get a break from our really young kids.

I think everyone should be doing the best they can to comply with doing what they need to survive and not judging others unless it’s something blatantly stupid like throwing a house party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be ok doing it now.

But will wait until the June 10th order is lifted

+1. Would do an outdoor playdate now if I knew any friends that also wanted to.

We’ve been doing outdoor play dates with our next door neighbors. Everyone is working from home with kids at home + wearing masks to the grocery store. I don’t post about it on Facebook or anything stupid because I don’t want comments. But we are complying with the order to limit gatherings to under 10 people and I figure it’s better to do a (relatively) low risk get together to keep our social distancing endurance up rather than strict isolation and burning out. Sort of like how people always fall off of strict diets.

Also, the funny thing is friends of mine who have been really judgy (over social media or text chains) about play dates or neighbor get togethers are the ones having their local parents/in-laws over to help with the kids. Neither we, nor our next door neighbors, have any family help. So occasionally letting our kids run around together outside basically is our “help” to get a break from our really young kids.

I think everyone should be doing the best they can to comply with doing what they need to survive and not judging others unless it’s something blatantly stupid like throwing a house party.

This seems really reasonable to me. I thought I had a similar agreement with a nearby family, but then one day the parent starts telling me they were at someone else's house earlier that morning, and oh on the way home they stopped to get coffee and browse target, so then I was like, OH we can't hang out near you anymore, bye. But if both families have the same risk tolerance and trust each other, I agree with something low risk to keep this sustainable.

[Anonymous]

When schools are cleared to re-open.

[Anonymous]

No idea, but no time soon while cases are still not at peak in Va.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be ok doing it now.

But will wait until the June 10th order is lifted

+1. Would do an outdoor playdate now if I knew any friends that also wanted to.

We’ve been doing outdoor play dates with our next door neighbors. Everyone is working from home with kids at home + wearing masks to the grocery store. I don’t post about it on Facebook or anything stupid because I don’t want comments. But we are complying with the order to limit gatherings to under 10 people and I figure it’s better to do a (relatively) low risk get together to keep our social distancing endurance up rather than strict isolation and burning out. Sort of like how people always fall off of strict diets.

Also, the funny thing is friends of mine who have been really judgy (over social media or text chains) about play dates or neighbor get togethers are the ones having their local parents/in-laws over to help with the kids. Neither we, nor our next door neighbors, have any family help. So occasionally letting our kids run around together outside basically is our “help” to get a break from our really young kids.

I think everyone should be doing the best they can to comply with doing what they need to survive and not judging others unless it’s something blatantly stupid like throwing a house party.

This seems really reasonable to me. I thought I had a similar agreement with a nearby family, but then one day the parent starts telling me they were at someone else's house earlier that morning, and oh on the way home they stopped to get coffee and browse target, so then I was like, OH we can't hang out near you anymore, bye. But if both families have the same risk tolerance and trust each other, I agree with something low risk to keep this sustainable.

We were about to do something similar with another family who claimed they were fully isolating and then realized that our definitions of that were quite different.

[Anonymous]

OMG! This is so not my first priority!

[Anonymous]

We are probably soon going to start letting our children play with my SIL's children. That's it though.

[Anonymous]

We're thinking about reaching out to friends that we are pretty confident are isolating as well as we are to ask about this.

[Anonymous]

I allowed my 10-year-old DD to go for a walk with her best friend. The friend wore a mask and they were supposed to stay far apart (though i don't know if they actually did). It was fine, but honestly I don't think it made any positive difference for my DD (this was the friend's or friend's mom's idea, they seemed more desperate for social interaction).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As soon as SIP is lifted.

Which is an arbitrary date, not an indicator of “all safe! No transmission anymore”

Kids aren’t affected as much as adults, but they are often asymptotic carriers.

Unless your play dates are with people who have not interacted with other families or other people, you have no idea how many vectors you are exposing your family to.

I don’t understand how one mitigates that unless you each write down where you’ve each been past x# days and are ok with their level of exposure

[Anonymous]

I would now, if other parents were willing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be ok doing it now.

But will wait until the June 10th order is lifted

+1. Would do an outdoor playdate now if I knew any friends that also wanted to.

We’ve been doing outdoor play dates with our next door neighbors. Everyone is working from home with kids at home + wearing masks to the grocery store. I don’t post about it on Facebook or anything stupid because I don’t want comments. But we are complying with the order to limit gatherings to under 10 people and I figure it’s better to do a (relatively) low risk get together to keep our social distancing endurance up rather than strict isolation and burning out. Sort of like how people always fall off of strict diets.

Also, the funny thing is friends of mine who have been really judgy (over social media or text chains) about play dates or neighbor get togethers are the ones having their local parents/in-laws over to help with the kids. Neither we, nor our next door neighbors, have any family help. So occasionally letting our kids run around together outside basically is our “help” to get a break from our really young kids.

I think everyone should be doing the best they can to comply with doing what they need to survive and not judging others unless it’s something blatantly stupid like throwing a house party.

This seems really reasonable to me. I thought I had a similar agreement with a nearby family, but then one day the parent starts telling me they were at someone else's house earlier that morning, and oh on the way home they stopped to get coffee and browse target, so then I was like, OH we can't hang out near you anymore, bye. But if both families have the same risk tolerance and trust each other, I agree with something low risk to keep this sustainable.

We were about to do something similar with another family who claimed they were fully isolating and then realized that our definitions of that were quite different.

+++ I don't know that other families are self-isolating to the degree our family is. If another family was, I would undoubtedly join pods together. But no one we know is being as careful as we are; I know in part because we're having to be that careful because of our high-risk status.

But this is also why friends of mine are like, "I don't know how I got COVID, I've been quarantined..."

[Anonymous]

NP here - a follow up question. When do you think it will be socially acceptable to have small group (10 or less) gatherings inside your home? I’m not asking about the law or when people will choose to do it, but when will most people do it without worrying about getting the stink eye from neighbors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be ok doing it now.

But will wait until the June 10th order is lifted

+1. Would do an outdoor playdate now if I knew any friends that also wanted to.

We’ve been doing outdoor play dates with our next door neighbors. Everyone is working from home with kids at home + wearing masks to the grocery store. I don’t post about it on Facebook or anything stupid because I don’t want comments. But we are complying with the order to limit gatherings to under 10 people and I figure it’s better to do a (relatively) low risk get together to keep our social distancing endurance up rather than strict isolation and burning out. Sort of like how people always fall off of strict diets.

Also, the funny thing is friends of mine who have been really judgy (over social media or text chains) about play dates or neighbor get togethers are the ones having their local parents/in-laws over to help with the kids. Neither we, nor our next door neighbors, have any family help. So occasionally letting our kids run around together outside basically is our “help” to get a break from our really young kids.

I think everyone should be doing the best they can to comply with doing what they need to survive and not judging others unless it’s something blatantly stupid like throwing a house party.

This seems really reasonable to me. I thought I had a similar agreement with a nearby family, but then one day the parent starts telling me they were at someone else's house earlier that morning, and oh on the way home they stopped to get coffee and browse target, so then I was like, OH we can't hang out near you anymore, bye. But if both families have the same risk tolerance and trust each other, I agree with something low risk to keep this sustainable.

We were about to do something similar with another family who claimed they were fully isolating and then realized that our definitions of that were quite different.

+++ I don't know that other families are self-isolating to the degree our family is. If another family was, I would undoubtedly join pods together. But no one we know is being as careful as we are; I know in part because we're having to be that careful because of our high-risk status.

But this is also why friends of mine are like, "I don't know how I got COVID, I've been quarantined..."

Right?!? "I just don't know how I got sick!" Well, I do! Gratefully, the person I had this conversation with isn't super sick but I sure do hope no one in their "quarantine circle" DOES get super sick. What a mess.