Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )

People who isolated back when information on the ground was sparse didn't make poor decisions. They did the best they could with the info at hand. And many people assessed the new info as it came out and adjusted as more was known. That is what intelligent people with common sense do.

Those of you who ignored the whole thing back when little was known weren't smarter or better parents. You just got lucky. Now shut up with parenting advice. You don't have the chops to dispense it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )

+1
100% liberal/pro science and vaccines here- We left DC for Florida and have never been happier. Ability to take kids to playgrounds and for everyone to socialize outdoors, responsibly.
Good quality childcare at reasonable price and weather alone have improved our quality of life 100x over.
It boggles my mind that the freaking libraries are still closed in DC.

It boggles the mind that you are extolling the virtues of FL. Blech. I know plenty of people who live there and you couldn't pay me to move there.

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what if she gets covid? Honestly. I’m sure you never kept her isolated because you feared the flu or rsv or any other childhood illness. Look at the death rates for covid vs flu. Did you know flu has all the same wonky side effects that covid does.

Freaking out over a kid getting covid is ludicrous. Let her have a life again.

Some of us never stopped having lives, which we did with masks, outdoors and/or distancing, while the rest of you screamed and sobbed and tore your garments that your children were SUFFERING and HOSTAGES because you couldn't go about life as if the pandemic didn't exist

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )

+1
100% liberal/pro science and vaccines here- We left DC for Florida and have never been happier. Ability to take kids to playgrounds and for everyone to socialize outdoors, responsibly.
Good quality childcare at reasonable price and weather alone have improved our quality of life 100x over.
It boggles my mind that the freaking libraries are still closed in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )

+1
100% liberal/pro science and vaccines here- We left DC for Florida and have never been happier. Ability to take kids to playgrounds and for everyone to socialize outdoors, responsibly.
Good quality childcare at reasonable price and weather alone have improved our quality of life 100x over.
It boggles my mind that the freaking libraries are still closed in DC.

I’m jealous. I am nearly certain mask mandates will be lifted by July 4th. If they are mandated next year, we will look to move to Denver, Austin, or maybe somewhere in FL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP. I didn't read any of the other responses because I'm bored of the typical DCUM posturing, but I just want to tell you that you didn't do anything wrong and your daughter will be fine. Kids are very resilient and you sound like a caring and attentive mom who will help her to ease into social things. Hugs!

This! Haven't read this whole thread but I'm guessing you've gotten some tough responses. Ignore them!! Kids are so adaptable. She'll be fine! You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. Onward and upward.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )

+1
100% liberal/pro science and vaccines here- We left DC for Florida and have never been happier. Ability to take kids to playgrounds and for everyone to socialize outdoors, responsibly.
Good quality childcare at reasonable price and weather alone have improved our quality of life 100x over.
It boggles my mind that the freaking libraries are still closed in DC.

Anonymous wrote:You made the wrong decision isolating your daughter to the extent that you did. Short of a true lockdown, which no state even approached, the best we could have hoped for was flattening the curve enough to not overwhelm our healthcare system. By closing offices, schools, businesses, having the elderly and particularly at-risk isolate, and cancelling larger events and gatherings, we were going to accomplish that whether healthy children played at playgrounds and had some playdates here or there or not. And it absolutely will impact her -- in fact, you are seeing how it already has. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but that is what you need to hear -- not "kids are resilient, tra la la". Isolating a 6 yr old for an entire year is not NBD!

You need to work hard starting now to help your daughter and attend to her social, emotional, and mental health needs (which are of course as real as those of adults .) Start by letting her do any and everything outside -- playgrounds, playdates, everything. Have her wear a mask if it makes you feel better, but give zero mind to distancing and whether others are wearing masks. It's FINE, the likelihood of catching COVID masked and outdoors is minuscule, and anyways, the risk of serious disease to her is very small and presumably those actually at-risk in your circle are vaccinated. The decision whether to let your daughter go to playgrounds is NOT HARD. It is an obvious YES at this point!!! And then pick a few families to start socializing with indoors as well. Stop feeling guilty and stop hand ringing about moving forward.

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP. I didn't read any of the other responses because I'm bored of the typical DCUM posturing, but I just want to tell you that you didn't do anything wrong and your daughter will be fine. Kids are very resilient and you sound like a caring and attentive mom who will help her to ease into social things. Hugs!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're not a terrible mom, and you're also not alone in exaggerating the risks of COVID vs. other risks to your child specifically. Moving forward, take your daughter to the playground, please. If *she* wears a mask, even if other kids don't, the risk to her is extremely low. Risks to children are low anyway, but especially outside.

Moving forward, pay attention to biases and how you think about mental health. Social isolation to the degree you describe isn't healthy, especially for children, and it's also not necessary given the very low risks COVID poses to children.

I've been following Emily Oster's framework for thinking about COVID risk, which takes into account risk in context. Too many people are considering only absolute risk and ignoring the risks they take daily for other things, and minimizing risks to mental health (kids are resilient!!!!!). I understand that COVID is novel and scary, but we've known for a long time that kids are less impacted *and* that being outdoors is reasonably safe, particularly when masked.

Stares in “majority of pediatric covid deaths have been Black and Brown kids”

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t isolate my kids at all. In fact, we made the huge decision to move to a state that was open so my kids could go to school. None of us got it, and my kids are objectively in a much better place socially and mentally than my friends’ kids who stayed in Virginia (and still aren’t in school full-time).

(aaand now cue the panic posting about how isolating kids is the morally superior thing to do, in order to justify adults’ pretty poor decisions )