@crispyfry I appreciate the rambling wall it's a really good point about balancing the mental health aspects, as well as kiddo's social and emotional development
@edwina958 Honestly from the start of this whole thing I thought it was going to be a reach to get it eradicated. Especially once it became a political issue it was like “ok this thing is going to be endemic” but I still don’t want to get it anymore than I want to get the flu. I just want there to be viable treatment options and a vaccine available, which we have for the over 5 crowd now. My kiddo has been in school/daycare for this whole ride but both were extremely cautious about COVID. We’ve had no cases at all at his school this year (PS-5th grade) and we’re in a CDC red county. They’ve been taking it very seriously. He hasn’t even gotten a cold or sniffles yet this year, it’s crazy.
I am expecting a new baby here in the next month so I imagine we’ll scale back a bit, but I can’t bring myself to just yank my son out of everything when he needs the socialization and the organizations are taking precautions. I’m reading that some groups don’t think this thing will be over till 2024, I can’t justify keeping my kid locked in the house till he’s 7. So we’ll be cutting back on some things but he’ll still be going to school and his school extracurriculars same as usual.
@edwina958 If omicron spikes everywhere as aggressively as it has in South Africa, this wave might be fairly short. So, for now, we're going to wait out this wave and decide after.
@motherof7 This is my plan too. I understand the folks saying we're all going to get it someday but I'd rather not get it in this wave with so many unknowns. Going to reevaluate in a few weeks.
@bob999 We have a 6 months old we had some reaction to flu shot it was horrible night for her. I can’t even imagine Covid, I hate when people say stuff like this. Esp ppl like my in law basically well she will get sick eventually. Sure , but I will take a sick 2 year old that I can help to feel better than my baby and I can’t do anyth for her other than simple
Fever medication
@motherof7 That’s a silver lining I hadn’t thought of.
After New Year’s people tend to be a bit tired of holidays for a while and socialization slows down until Valentine’s Day. So perhaps that will feed into a shorter wave.
@motherof7 Agree, that's the benefit to the massive contagious factor. It seems like omicron will burn through the country relatively quickly. We plan to re-assess in a few weeks after hunkering down a bit.
@motherof7 Yep, same over here. We have a trip planned in March when we were hoping all would be safer but at this point, I don't know. It was already delayed from November. We'll probably go either way honestly because at least our kiddo can wear a mask now. I'm hoping the worst of it passes soon and then we can go during a lull.
@edwina958 i was anticipating changing and relaxing a little with a vaccine and now staring down the barrel of another year like this as he gets older feels horrible. my kiddo is 2 and i think we’ll send him to preschool when the time comes but until then he’s at home with me, only seeing other kids outdoors and infrequently. we had been going to the grocery store now that he’s good at wearing a mask, but we’ll probably stop with omicron. he’s been to the zoo once, pumpkin patch once and that’s about it. i feel horrible and guilty and scared and tired.
@bethann21 I feel this as wel. I have an 11 month old. My entire pregnancy (I’m a health care provider) I was paranoid and then her whole first year. I kept saying well if I can just get through pregnancy it’ll be over shortly after… same with infancy… now that she’s more interested in other kids and stuff outside of our house I feel sad, guilty, depressed, wanting to hide yet also say fuck it and move on w my life doing the best I can manage. I’m just so over it
@estilow god i can’t imagine how you must feel being a provider i’m just a lil ol sahm but my kid is speech delayed (and in early intervention) and i just struggle so much with the guilt of keeping home (and out of daycare away from socialization with other kids) combined with knowing the serious privilege i have to stay home with him.
i didn’t realize until today just how much emotionally i was relying on that early next year deadline as a light at the end of the tunnel even though i always knew it wouldn’t be the end. also really battling the fatigue and wanting to just risk stuff that i haven’t felt justified to risk yet because i can’t do this forever. but also it’s been two years and we’re ok so i can theoretically do another year. ugh. it’s so hard.
@bethann21 Please, I mean this in the kindest, gentlest way possible, look to the data on whether a COVID infection in a young child is worth depriving them of many joys in their young childhood. I know it's emotional and confusing and scary. But truly, unless your child is severely immunocompromised, the risk of a COVID infection is FAR outweighed by the scientifically-proven importance of socialization, new experiences, going on trips, and meeting new people.
If your child is 2 now, he will likely be 5 when they produce a vaccine, according to current reporting. That's light-years of time and change at his age.
I really encourage you to think critically about the risk/reward ratio in his case. But I do empathize with you, it is really hard to move past all the confusion of the past few years and different opinions.
@pcross39 The problem is the science hasn’t yet looked at long term effects. We know in adults that a large percentage of people who recover from Covid, suffer from long term issues, ranging from long Covid, to increased risk of mental health issues and sleep disorders. Even mild and asymptotic cases. We don’t know yet if kids are also affected long term, but it’s something a lot of parents just don’t want to risk.
@introverteen So they're willing to take on the very real, well-studied, scientifically-proven negative consequences of keeping their child isolated? Over a hypothetical possibility? That isn't scientific or evidence-based.
@pcross39 I think what parents are doing is trying to expose the kids to social situations, in the safest way possible. Playgrounds and other outdoor activities, maybe indoor stuff during times when case counts are low, play dates with other families who are vaccinated, outdoor classes like soccer in the summer, or swim. Every activity is on a range of safety, and each one is evaluated by if parents feel it’s worth the level of risk involved. I don’t think anyone here is keeping their kid in a cage in order to avoid Covid. But obviously things like staying away from indoor playgrounds, daycares, or things like Chuck E Cheese, and limited other activities.
@introverteen I understand there is nuance, but most restrictions on children seem unnecessary to me. I'm just encouraging people to take a look at the almost 2 years of data we already have.
it's a really good point about balancing the mental health aspects, as well as kiddo's social and emotional development
i’m just a lil ol sahm but my kid is speech delayed (and in early intervention) and i just struggle so much with the guilt of keeping home (and out of daycare away from socialization with other kids) combined with knowing the serious privilege i have to stay home with him. 