Help me decide...

[Anonymous]

... Should I let my 10-year-old go to a birthday party in someone else's house? There will be ~15 different people, including kids from 4 different families.

We have been super-duper conservative so far: no in-person meetups with anyone outside our immediate family. All groceries delivered. Etc. So, going to someone's house for a birthday party seems really extreme, but I know we can't stay home forever.

[Anonymous]

Your gut clearly tells you the answer is no (which would be my answer too). You've had zero in-person meetups. Going from that to this will produce a huge amount of anxiety. We're socially distant and went to a one-family backyard get-together and I feel anxious about that. Inside, with 15+ people? No way.

[Anonymous]

If the party is inside - no way.
Is the party outside? Depends on what they are doing.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't, and we allow our kids to play outside with others. But an inside party with a group of people you don't know that well? Not even a chance I would send my kid.

[Anonymous]

Come on, you know the answer to this.

[Anonymous]

Nope.
We are going to start small outdoor play dates and that's it.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would say no- but I got an email newsletter today from the Emily Oster COVID newsletter and it's about making decisions and what factors to consider if you want to change your decision (i.e. from social distancing to not). Here's a link:

https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/when-to-change-your-mind?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo1NTk5MTU4LCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1Mzk3OTQsIl8iOiJsZmV0MSIsImlhdCI6MTU5MTg4ODA5MCwiZXhwIjoxNTkxODkxNjkwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjk3NzAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.oKMcmZ59dCwHEI3mq_Swf7ENOs-iyH6xXF-cwetsNaE

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the validation, Internet friends. I’m starting to feel like my family is the only one still strictly social distancing. You’ve helped me see that’s not true. (The article was super-helpful.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the validation, Internet friends. I’m starting to feel like my family is the only one still strictly social distancing. You’ve helped me see that’s not true. (The article was super-helpful.)

We are social distancing too and will probably go through the summer since camps and sports are closed and infections and deaths are high. Don’t mind the others who view this as crazy- to each their own safety threshold.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. The way we think about this is that if we get COVID and have to go through contract tracing, how will this look explaining it to the government? Right now indoor gatherings of 15 people is not allowed, especially not without masks and social distancing. I, a self-admitted do-gooder and rule follower, would not want to admit that.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'd say no to this, but that doesn't mean you can't lighten up a little bit.

[Anonymous]

If you don't know your own mind, we can't tell you
But don't allow something because you are a wimp and won't say, "no" to others.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised anyone would have a house party (I'm assuming it's indoors? you didn't say), especially in the summer. I say that as someone who is doing a lot of things - restaurant patios, outdoor playdates, haircut, etc. But an indoor birthday party with that many people seems like an unnecessary risk when you could do something else.

I do think you could loosen up on some other things though, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:... Should I let my 10-year-old go to a birthday party in someone else's house? There will be ~15 different people, including kids from 4 different families.

We have been super-duper conservative so far: no in-person meetups with anyone outside our immediate family. All groceries delivered. Etc. So, going to someone's house for a birthday party seems really extreme, but I know we can't stay home forever.

If it's outside.

[Anonymous]

DC is still in Phase 1, no gatherings of more than 10 people, so I wouldn't. I would do it in phase 2.