Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) sending them to camp if it opens
- yes, my kids are at a day camp for 8 hours every day. 50 kids, 4 teachers, at an elementary school. No one wears masks except for the staff person who sits at the desk to sign kids in and out at pick up and drop off (parents not allowed in program area/past that desk). Not sure about overnight camp.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
- sure
3) considering outdoor playdates
- 1000% yes.
4) playground visits
- 1000% yes.

Kids are 10 and 7. I have no idea what educational attainment has to do with anything but we are college educated. We are also politically engaged.

I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?

Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week.

So you are like in your 30s with no risk factors?

No, we are 44 and 42.

I should add that we both tested positive for COVID back in late March and early April.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The following exchange really concerns me, and I keep seeing it:

"I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?"

"Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week."

---

I'm sure these are *probably* not terribly inaccurate risk assessments for your personal family. But this is not a "to each their own" "live and let live" "do what's best for your own family" kind of situation.

I can't claim to have all of the answers. But I do know that the more people like you do these things, the more likely you are to aid the spread of the virus to much more vulnerable people, somewhere down the line. That's just kinda the way it works.

+1. I agree completely. These types of comments make me want to be even more vigilant in keeping us safe.

Ok, today's mommy.

Anonymous wrote:The following exchange really concerns me, and I keep seeing it:

"I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?"

"Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week."

---

I'm sure these are *probably* not terribly inaccurate risk assessments for your personal family. But this is not a "to each their own" "live and let live" "do what's best for your own family" kind of situation.

I can't claim to have all of the answers. But I do know that the more people like you do these things, the more likely you are to aid the spread of the virus to much more vulnerable people, somewhere down the line. That's just kinda the way it works.

+1. I agree completely. These types of comments make me want to be even more vigilant in keeping us safe.

Two kids, ages 3 and 6


1) sending them to camp if it opens: yes, 3 year old has never stopped going to daycare. Trying to find a summer camp for the 6 year old.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing: yup.
3) considering outdoor play dates: yes already doing that with multiple families from the neighborhood.
4) playground visits: the neighborhood playground.

The following exchange really concerns me, and I keep seeing it:

"I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?"

"Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week."

---

I'm sure these are *probably* not terribly inaccurate risk assessments for your personal family. But this is not a "to each their own" "live and let live" "do what's best for your own family" kind of situation.

I can't claim to have all of the answers. But I do know that the more people like you do these things, the more likely you are to aid the spread of the virus to much more vulnerable people, somewhere down the line. That's just kinda the way it works.

We both work from home and get delivery only, no shopping. Kids are 3 & 6.

No camp or playgrounds. Yes to visiting family at a driveable distance who have also been SIP. Yes to socially distanced play dates, although we keep it to one a month or so.

People I know who have gotten this have ranged from mild cases to down and out for months to intubated in a coma. Until there are better therapeutics we are staying put. Our kids seem fine. There is enough to do out in nature, at this age (and having each other) we can mix things up enough that they seem ok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) sending them to camp if it opens
- yes, my kids are at a day camp for 8 hours every day. 50 kids, 4 teachers, at an elementary school. No one wears masks except for the staff person who sits at the desk to sign kids in and out at pick up and drop off (parents not allowed in program area/past that desk). Not sure about overnight camp.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
- sure
3) considering outdoor playdates
- 1000% yes.
4) playground visits
- 1000% yes.

Kids are 10 and 7. I have no idea what educational attainment has to do with anything but we are college educated. We are also politically engaged.

I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?

Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week.

So you are like in your 30s with no risk factors?

No, we are 44 and 42.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in hospital administration and DH is in research. We are both currently working from home with a 7 yr old and 20 month old. It’s the protocol of my hospital not to have parents of young children physically return to work.

No to all your queries. No camp and no preschool. No visiting relatives or friends. We are lucky to have a great yard and open green space outside our house so the kids get lots of time outside. We have remote classes for both.

I understand we are one of the more restrictive families and it’s tough but knowing the COVID 19 cases in my hospital has me beyond cautious!

How are you both working full time from home while also full time entertaining a 7 year old and a toddler?

What kind of remote classes is your 20 month old taking?

DH and I both start work at 4:30 AM while the kids are sleeping and work after they go to bed for another few hours. During the day we tag-team based on each other’s meetings and scheduled phone calls. When the little one is napping, our older son gets his screen time for the day. We do all chores with the kids.

My toddler takes Music Together remotely and does the Beat Buds class too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) sending them to camp if it opens
- yes, my kids are at a day camp for 8 hours every day. 50 kids, 4 teachers, at an elementary school. No one wears masks except for the staff person who sits at the desk to sign kids in and out at pick up and drop off (parents not allowed in program area/past that desk). Not sure about overnight camp.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
- sure
3) considering outdoor playdates
- 1000% yes.
4) playground visits
- 1000% yes.

Kids are 10 and 7. I have no idea what educational attainment has to do with anything but we are college educated. We are also politically engaged.

I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?

Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week.

So you are like in your 30s with no risk factors?

Anonymous wrote:We'd probably be considered lax by DCUM standards. We do our own grocery shopping once a week and DH works a split schedule that has him in the office every other week. As far as our kids go, my older teen works three days/week (at a job that provides the classes and summer camp opportunities so many of the adults in the area need in order to work) and my younger teen just started swim team practice three mornings/week. She also does lap swim and goes for walks with a friend who lives nearby.

I wonder if we would be more sanguine about COVID if our kids were teens. For me having a parent die when you are under 5 seems way more tragic than an almost adult. Does that come into play into your calculation, you just have made more peace with dying bc your kids don’t need you as much.

We'd probably be considered lax by DCUM standards. We do our own grocery shopping once a week and DH works a split schedule that has him in the office every other week. As far as our kids go, my older teen works three days/week (at a job that provides the classes and summer camp opportunities so many of the adults in the area need in order to work) and my younger teen just started swim team practice three mornings/week. She also does lap swim and goes for walks with a friend who lives nearby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) sending them to camp if it opens
- yes, my kids are at a day camp for 8 hours every day. 50 kids, 4 teachers, at an elementary school. No one wears masks except for the staff person who sits at the desk to sign kids in and out at pick up and drop off (parents not allowed in program area/past that desk). Not sure about overnight camp.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
- sure
3) considering outdoor playdates
- 1000% yes.
4) playground visits
- 1000% yes.

Kids are 10 and 7. I have no idea what educational attainment has to do with anything but we are college educated. We are also politically engaged.

I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?

Both, I guess. It’s just not something I’m super worried about. We’ve been doing outdoor play dates since late April and playgrounds since May and they’ve been in camp for a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't see what the education level has to do with this...my most paranoid friend is from my hometown and she has a GED.

OP here. I put in education and location because it provides some context for where I'm coming from.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Interesting to see where people stand on this. We wonder if we're being over paranoid with no other kid contact - which is probably the part that is driving us all the battiest. Is everyone trying to keep masks on their kids at these outdoor playdates or just giving up on that part as inevitably challenging?

OP, we have not had our kids wear masks outside, although we don't live in the middle of the city so we don't come into contact with strangers outside all that often, but they also have not worn them for play dates.

Anonymous wrote:Aside from walking the dog, we don't really leave our property.

-DH picks up and drops off the nanny twice a day.
-Once every two weeks one of us goes to a grocery store for things we haven't been able to order for whatever reason.
- Once a week DH goes to his (empty) office to get mail and bring home a couple of reams of printer paper

The kids only leave the front/back yard to come with an adult to walk the dog. They wear a mask when they do that. They are not allowed to have playdates.

I feel like your post is a little contradictory, and I don't mean that to be judgmental, because I'm sure people would say that some of my choices seem to contradict as well. But I'm wondering what you have to go to the store to get, because I have not gone to the store in three months and have been able to find everything I needed, even though sometimes it means doing multiple grocery orders. And you make your kids wear a mask while walking the dog but your husband keeps going to work (even though you say it's an empty office, are there not multiple touch points to get in there plus a shared ventilation system for the whole building?) to get paper, which you could also have delivered... We are allowing outdoor play dates, so I'm not saying that I disagree with your husband going into his office or you going to the store, I just find it odd that you seem to allow things for your and your husband's convenience but are locking down your kids, which I find very interesting.

One lawyer, one engineer, both working from home. We haven't been to a grocery store since March 14 and we've done take out maybe five times, all in the last few weeks. We have not gotten our hair cut at a salon, I haven't gotten my nails done, and the only place we've been other than our house has been the barn to ride our horses and two stores where I wore a mask and was in and out quickly. I have no idea when we'll go back inside a restaurant but it's not on our list of things to do any time soon. Additionally, we'll both remain working from home through the rest of 2020.

1) sending them to camp if it opens - No. The summer camp they were set to attend canceled the whole summer and we're glad about that. It makes working tough, but I just can't get comfortable with all the kids from all over the place that would be there.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing - Yes, we would do this, assuming our family was not in a high-risk category. My in-laws are that, so we have not visited them. My family is not, but they are a flight away and we aren't keen on getting on an airplane any time soon.
3) considering outdoor playdates - Yes, we have been doing these probably since April? Bike rides and tree climbing and other activity. Our kids are both six, so they're old enough to be aware but young enough to forget sometimes. We haven't been overly strict about the six-foot rule probably in the last month and we have never made them wear masks.
4) playground visits - Yes, I would do these if they were open, but with hand sanitizer at the park and hand washing at home. However, I would likely only do the playgrounds in our neighborhood rather than ones in the surrounding area.

Our feeling has been, since we know our neighborhood friends well and we are aware of what others are doing (including the things they're doing that we would not do), we have decided that that is our world, so we are fine doing walks with other adults (my husband and I alternate every morning who walks the dogs with friends) and outside play dates with other kids. We left DC and now leave at the beach and our life is so much about the outdoors, which has probably hastened some of our decisions in that regard, although my husband has been doing a lot of research and has been very cautious about everything. Oh, and we finally had our maid come back this week, which was delightful!