| I have also wondered about some of the choices we made, but ultimately, there is no point in feeling bad about the past. Can't change our decisions regarding homeschooling and removing DS from activities, so why feel guilty about it. Where we live, schools have been back in session full time since March. I had a lot of guilt about DS missing out. But now vaccine rates are high and while there was an initial surge of Covid cases when schools went back in session, cases have been steadily declining. So we are arranging out door playdates, taking DS to the playground, signing him up for outdoor activities. And he's thriving. The weather is getting nicer and so I'd sign your kid up for outdoor activities and take her to the playground where she can play with other kids. Don't beat yourself up with decisions you've made this past year. Just figure out how to move forward safely. |
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Hindsight is 20/20, OP.
Between March and September 2020 the only people our two kids played with in person were each other and a cousin who quarantined before we met up. We WAH, used delivery only, and did a handful of playdates outdoors and masked. Fast forward to fall 2020, our our oldest (6) started in person in September and youngest (3) was still at home. Younger DC has stayed home until recently starting preschool a few times a week in person. However we did do playdates starting in the fall, because we felt it was so important for socialization. We only met up outdoors/masked with a few other families who were COVID cautious. Spring 2021, we are both vaccinated. We are starting to open up from our circle of ~5 families, which is great, but we will still only do outdoor/masked socializing until the kids are vaccinated. I think you can strike a balance between keeping the child home all day and going all out with any kind of socializing. My kids have a ton of fun and don't even mind the masks. They wear them all day at school also. This is going to end pretty soon -- I expect vaccines for their age group will be approved by November. A bit of caution to spare them any longterm issues from a poorly understood disease is warranted in my view, especially because it is possible to play without doing indoor dining and socializing. |
DP. I know several moms in my online group who have long haul symptoms. Can't breathe after walking for five minutes, brain fog, exhaustion. That doesn't seem very fun. |
Interesting. I know about 50 people who have had Covid and none have long term symptoms. |
This is the case in our schools too -- but one kid had a school that was able to break them into pods of less than 10 students, the other has had outdoor classrooms whenever possible and good ventilation indoors. I think in schools that lack those facilities and resources have not faired as well. Not to mention the selection bias... if your child goes to school like this, you're very likely to see a lot of parents WAH in white collar jobs and able to afford delivery of food and supplies during peak infection waves, hence putting them at lower risk for exposure. |
This. My friend's child was at a school district in Indiana where two teachers died of COVID by January 2021. |
Anywhere between 10-30% of people infected with COVID have long haul symptoms. That's a lot. Some of them were mild or even asymptomatic, in the case of children. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210219/a-third-of-covid-survivors-have-long-haul-symptoms#1 |
There are a lot of posts with very different opinions, seems like a discussion worth having... though 99% of posters seem so confident in their choice... maybe we all need to do a little second-guessing and seeing alternate perspectives, because I’m sure the truth is somewhere in the middle. |
| I don't feel guilty. I interviewed so many pod mates searching for the right fit of social and safety compatibility. I built a rock wall and transformed my backyard to be an outdoor kid fun zone so kids could come over. I drive my kids all over town for safe outdoor classes and activities. You didn't have to do any of that and you still shouldn't feel guilty. You did what you could and food what you had to do. Feel happy you protected your family! |
Nope. Nice try. Did other developed nations have prolonged school closures that caused women to leave the workforce in droves? Did other nations tape off playgrounds, park benches, and close outdoor restaurants? Did other countries require two year olds to mask in childcare and be cared for by masked caregivers? Did other nations require kids to wear masks while exercising at high intensity? Did other countries provide no support to low income workers who had to work indoors during the pandemic? Did other nations prioritze people who had recovered from Covid for vaccination, delaying herd immunity? Nice try. |
This was publicized. They caught it outside of school. |
No. How many of them never tested positive for Covid? This is poorly understood. |
This is the right attitude. |
Agree. |
I know what you mean. Same experience in my circle. I know a few people who caught the virus and all were very, very careful. Obviously, the middle class was protected in general due to the WFH, Amazon, UberEats situation. That said, I know one family who took almost no precautions - even attended a destination wedding - and never got Covid. In my circle, how careful you were does not correlate with infection. |