September 2020: Are your kids seeing friends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course. We’re not loony martyrs

+1. Where are these people in real life? Driving alone in their cars and wearing masks and gloves?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course. We’re not loony martyrs

+1. Where are these people in real life? Driving alone in their cars and wearing masks and gloves?

yeah, I'm not sure. I seriously can't think of one single person I know who is not allowing at least some sort of in person interaction for their kids.

[Anonymous]

well, my kids are in school 5 days a week, so...

[Anonymous]

Nope.

[Anonymous]

yes, my kids have been having outdoor playdates since May...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. We’re in Los Angeles and our numbers are still way too high. Might be different in DC.

It’s hard.

Are they though? What about hospitalizations? Are your hospitals overwhelmed? Just wondering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Nope.

Found one!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Masked, playing outside. Sheesh, what are we doing to our kids? Let them see their friends, it's been 6 months. Have them sanitize their hands before and after playing.

"Sanitize their hands?" Have you been asleep since April? The predominant transmission risk has nothing to do with their hands.

NP, yes, this is true AND the time "fomite" transmission does come into play is when they touch their faces or eat something right after. With younger kids, especially, there's risk of them touching their faces (eyes/nose/mouths) more and not thoroughly washing hands before eating with them, etc. In terms of sanitizing or thoroughly washing before play-- lots of kids might have just eaten something or picked their noses or whatever before leaving the house.

Sanitizing hands really couldn't hurt, and could help *in a global pandemic*.

Like... there's a difference between thinking you need to treat all of your groceries to a bleach bath (we now understand this is overkill) and making sure your young child's hands are very clean before/after a visit to a playground with friends.

Hey, that's all well and good. Sanitize their hands to your heart's content. Just don't try to convince yourself (or others) that their playdates are So Very Safe because your kid wears a thin, fallible mask and you erroneously believe they fully distance 100% of the time. Take the risks you want to take, but don't lie to yourself or others about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, kids need to play and socialise. All science speaks for this and against children suffering from Covid. Risk benefit analysis done.

No, but good try. The data you cherry pick that supports your positions "speaks for this." Nope.

You're making responsible decisions, OP. Don't listen to irresponsible imbeciles who call each other "sheep" with the maturity of 10-year-olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am actually shocked at the number of no answers. I think people are either downplaying their activities, lying about what "seeing friends" means (i.e. it's not the same way they used to do it so the answer is no), or...I don't know. So many of my friends have kids who are actually going to school, whether in-person or hybrid, and while I don't think engaging in one risky activity justifies engaging in another, I just can't believe that there are so many whose kids aren't seeing others.

If your kids are not doing school in person, would you send them if (1) no one took buses or the buses were totally spaced out (like 1/4 the capacity) and everyone was masked, (2) the classrooms had a limited number of kids per room such that no desk was closer than 6 feet away from any other, (3) the school did testing two days before school and every two weeks once it started, plus random tests in addition to that, (4) there was lots of outdoor time and classes and lunches could be done outside, and (5) kids were grouped into cohorts so that they remained effectively isolated to the 15 or so kids plus teacher that was in their homeroom? If the answer would be yes, then why wouldn't you let your kids play outside with their friends more, especially if they were masked?

Under current conditions, no, we would not send out kids to school. The actual enforcement and reliable application of these "safeguards" -- as anyone who's ever worked for a meaningful length of time in a public school can tell you -- in an real world school setting is laughable.

I don't know why people are (pretending to) act so surprised or insinuating that the OP is lying. There are plenty of us out here making the same decisions, and giving not a single rat's patoot what you think about us and our choices.

-- not OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course. We’re not loony martyrs

Aww, I bet you thought this made you sound cool when you typed it.

Hint: People secure in themselves don't feel the need to namecall others who make different choices than they do.

Be better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course. We’re not loony martyrs

+1. Where are these people in real life? Driving alone in their cars and wearing masks and gloves?

This has been explained about 5,803,642 times, so you already know this, but just to reiterate for anyone else who's still spouting this tired line:

Best practice is not to touch your mask once you put it on. Shockingly, people in suburban, car-driven areas have to go to more than one place -- like, say, the grocery store and a separate pharmacy for compounding meds, farmer's market, pick up takeout, etc. -- so they do not touch their mask (again, best practice) and leave it on until they return home. It's very simple. In a short drive between stops, there is no need to touch it and take it off. If you choose to take yours off in the car, go you! You get a gold star! But your choice is 0% more valid than theirs.

But you needed to bolster your own low self-esteem by mocking others for doing something that is not at all ridiculous, so carry on. As an imbecile in a high office would say, "sad."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes but outdoors only. Once Winter hits, they won’t be able to see their friends for a few months until spring. We will not allow indoor play/hanging out.

This might be the year that you should try staying outside a bit in winter. I lived in Alexandria until 2017. It never got too cold to be out for at least 20 minutes. My kids in Minneapolis do recess unless it's -10 (used to be 0 until last year). 20 is nothing with proper layers. Kids on our street plan to distance hang out all winter too. There just may be a few hot cocoa breaks in between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Masked, playing outside. Sheesh, what are we doing to our kids? Let them see their friends, it's been 6 months. Have them sanitize their hands before and after playing.

"Sanitize their hands?" Have you been asleep since April? The predominant transmission risk has nothing to do with their hands.

NP, yes, this is true AND the time "fomite" transmission does come into play is when they touch their faces or eat something right after. With younger kids, especially, there's risk of them touching their faces (eyes/nose/mouths) more and not thoroughly washing hands before eating with them, etc. In terms of sanitizing or thoroughly washing before play-- lots of kids might have just eaten something or picked their noses or whatever before leaving the house.

Sanitizing hands really couldn't hurt, and could help *in a global pandemic*.

Like... there's a difference between thinking you need to treat all of your groceries to a bleach bath (we now understand this is overkill) and making sure your young child's hands are very clean before/after a visit to a playground with friends.

Hey, that's all well and good. Sanitize their hands to your heart's content. Just don't try to convince yourself (or others) that their playdates are So Very Safe because your kid wears a thin, fallible mask and you erroneously believe they fully distance 100% of the time. Take the risks you want to take, but don't lie to yourself or others about it.

Not PP. But 4 year old DS does go to the playground without a mask and plays with other kids, 90 percent of who don’t wear masks. I don’t think it’s so very safe with 0% risk. I do believe that all evidence points to it being an extremely low risk activity. Please let me know if any superspreading (or really any) transmission events worldwide that occurred because of kids playing masked or unmasked on a playground. It’s like parents can’t win during this thing. My kid isn’t going to PreK this year even though we could have sent him because we think it is a riskier activity so letting him play with other kids outside was our compromise. What’s going to happen when only adults can get vaccinated first because there have been no pediatric efficacy trials on the vaccines? Are you still going to keep your kids confined to just interacting with siblings and you and keep them out of school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am actually shocked at the number of no answers. I think people are either downplaying their activities, lying about what "seeing friends" means (i.e. it's not the same way they used to do it so the answer is no), or...I don't know. So many of my friends have kids who are actually going to school, whether in-person or hybrid, and while I don't think engaging in one risky activity justifies engaging in another, I just can't believe that there are so many whose kids aren't seeing others.

If your kids are not doing school in person, would you send them if (1) no one took buses or the buses were totally spaced out (like 1/4 the capacity) and everyone was masked, (2) the classrooms had a limited number of kids per room such that no desk was closer than 6 feet away from any other, (3) the school did testing two days before school and every two weeks once it started, plus random tests in addition to that, (4) there was lots of outdoor time and classes and lunches could be done outside, and (5) kids were grouped into cohorts so that they remained effectively isolated to the 15 or so kids plus teacher that was in their homeroom? If the answer would be yes, then why wouldn't you let your kids play outside with their friends more, especially if they were masked?

No to both, because our doctor told us not to.

Do you have a high-risk family member? Because I've spoken with many pediatricians and they have recommended school under those conditions for children without some sort of special circumstance.