Here I go again....the lone holdout

[Anonymous]

I'm in NJ for reference. My son's friends (15) are all going to a spring formal that has been rescheduled multiple times. Now it is July 23. It will be inside a fire house. Approx. 150 people. No masks required. Hand sanitizer available (haha). There will be food (not Sit down, but buffet), music, dancing, etc.

I'm the only parent of his friend group that isn't happy about this. I was hoping they would put it off longer so he would eventually get to go. All of his friends are going. Why is this allowed if indoor dining isn't allowed, if swim teams are cancelled, etc.? Is it even legal? I don't think it is as I've looked at some websites that say under 100 people indoors in my state.

Would anyone here be comfortable sending their kid to this? I'm so sick of having to be the bad guy here!

[Anonymous]

What!? No, I would not do this.

[Anonymous]

That is crazy. No way I would let my child go.

[Anonymous]

You don't have to do it. I definitely wouldn't do it. But you can't hold the other parents back from hosting the occasion especially as they delayed it many times already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What!? No, I would not do this.

+1

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not, OP. I would talk to your son about the fact that a lot of people are doing risky things right now that are putting themselves and others at risk. It's a good lesson for him about thinking for himself and about others. Is this dance a risk worth taking if he or someone he knows gets very sick or even dies as a result?

[Anonymous]

Bananas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in NJ for reference. My son's friends (15) are all going to a spring formal that has been rescheduled multiple times. Now it is July 23. It will be inside a fire house. Approx. 150 people. No masks required. Hand sanitizer available (haha). There will be food (not Sit down, but buffet), music, dancing, etc.

I'm the only parent of his friend group that isn't happy about this. I was hoping they would put it off longer so he would eventually get to go. All of his friends are going. Why is this allowed if indoor dining isn't allowed, if swim teams are cancelled, etc.? Is it even legal? I don't think it is as I've looked at some websites that say under 100 people indoors in my state.

Would anyone here be comfortable sending their kid to this? I'm so sick of having to be the bad guy here!

Another "bad guy" here OP. I would not allow mine to attend either and do not understand how it is allowed.
Hang in there. It has been tough with teens.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I am really surprised this is even allowed. Outdoors I could kind of see but indoor wow.

Puts you in quite the position. I’d have to say no. Is there something DC has been wanting - a special experience etc that you could bribe with (I’m not above that, myself LOL) to keep things smooth? And offer to have friends over outdoors etc if you haven’t already.

I’m pretty relaxed but this would be a no for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in NJ for reference. My son's friends (15) are all going to a spring formal that has been rescheduled multiple times. Now it is July 23. It will be inside a fire house. Approx. 150 people. No masks required. Hand sanitizer available (haha). There will be food (not Sit down, but buffet), music, dancing, etc.

I'm the only parent of his friend group that isn't happy about this. I was hoping they would put it off longer so he would eventually get to go. All of his friends are going. Why is this allowed if indoor dining isn't allowed, if swim teams are cancelled, etc.? Is it even legal? I don't think it is as I've looked at some websites that say under 100 people indoors in my state.

Would anyone here be comfortable sending their kid to this? I'm so sick of having to be the bad guy here!

lol, that's a hard no. For people like you, there are even some of us that don't want their kids to go on play dates. I am the total bad guy but that's ok. It's only termporary.

Regarding your case, those parents are the "indulge my kids at all costs" type of parents that ruin it for the rest of us

[Anonymous]

This says NJ indoor limits are 100 people

https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/general-public/are-people-allowed-to-gather-in-person

[Anonymous]

Agree with above posters.

Why on earth would they not hold this outdoors— at the very least!?!?

[Anonymous]

No way, OP. You'll have to be the bad guy which is unfair, but the event planners are forcing you into that position.

Food -- Open mouths. Teens forget and share bites or sip another kid's drink. Shared serving utensils are a horrible idea -- kid wipes his nose with a hand, touches utensil handle, next kid taking a serving touches it immediately after him and then a few minutes later touches her own face....

Dancing -- No.

Lack of masks -- Idiocy. The best way to avoid spread is masking on everyone. No masks on anyone is inviting infection.

Those numbers -- no.

Please tell your teen: Just because something is ALLOWED does not mean it is SMART. States and cities are not virus experts. Their motivation is not your health but their economies. "But it's permitted here now! We're in Phase Whatever" is going to get many more people infected and killed.

Please have him read about these two parties, much smaller than the one he wants to attend, and the outcomes.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-birthday-party-coronavirus-18-cases/

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article244147427.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in NJ for reference. My son's friends (15) are all going to a spring formal that has been rescheduled multiple times. Now it is July 23. It will be inside a fire house. Approx. 150 people. No masks required. Hand sanitizer available (haha). There will be food (not Sit down, but buffet), music, dancing, etc.

I'm the only parent of his friend group that isn't happy about this. I was hoping they would put it off longer so he would eventually get to go. All of his friends are going. Why is this allowed if indoor dining isn't allowed, if swim teams are cancelled, etc.? Is it even legal? I don't think it is as I've looked at some websites that say under 100 people indoors in my state.

Would anyone here be comfortable sending their kid to this? I'm so sick of having to be the bad guy here!

I would not let my kid go but I totally get the position you're feeling. For us its declining grad parties and the hosts have been offended and people probe dc but it is what it is. My kid's hs was planning to have an indoor prom at the end of july until last week.

[Anonymous]

As above, currently in NJ:


NJ Covid Info: https://covid19.nj.gov/index.html
Public gatherings
Gatherings are permitted so long as they comply with the limits on gatherings.
Indoor gatherings must be limited to 100 people or 25% of a room's capacity -- whichever number is lower. All attendees at indoor gatherings must wear face coverings and stay six feet apart
In New Jersey, individuals must wear face coverings:
in outdoor public spaces when social distancing is not possible;
in indoor spaces open to the public, including retail, recreational, and entertainment businesses, government buildings open to the public, and on public transportation; and
in indoor commercial spaces closed to the public, including office buildings, when individuals are in prolonged proximity to others.