Ronni
Well-known Member
- Location
- Nashville TN
My daughter Paige has begun receiving emails and notifications that various of her kids' activities are starting up again, and she's anxious and confused trying to figure out what's safe and what's not.
She's not alone. I'm seeing people posting on fb, my friends and family, they're are all struggling to find their footing. Even with my immediate family of my adult kids, there are different opinions about getting together. Some want to re-institute the family get togethers we used to have frequently, with the appropriate social distancing and other safety measures, and some aren't yet comfortable with that.
The thing is there's no right or wrong to either side of that and I'm grateful that at least within my own family unit there is respect for everyone else's comfort level and decisions, even when that opinion isn't shared.
I feel for Paige. Her kids had very active social and after-school lives before the pandemic. Dance class, music class, ballet, gym, parkour, martial arts, not to mention many playdates and birthday parties and get togethers. And all that's starting to open back up again, and she's anxious about what is OK and what's not. We've talked about it at length.
My opinion is based solidly on the what I know of the science of viruses, this one in particular but also viruses in general, with fulll understanding that as the corona virus is studied more, the information is likely to change. There has to be some degree of fluidity because the knowledge of this virus is ongoing.
The safety measures that are being implemented are well meaning, but in some cases just fall short of the actual science. A good example is the kids' gymnastics place. They sent out a long, informative email about the procedures they had implemented and the safety measures they were enforcing, one of which was a complete sanitization of the gym and all the equipment the kids use during their gym class every night after they closed and detailed the Health Department approved products they were using to accomplish this.
Sounds good right? The problem with that is that if an infected child uses the equipment and leaves virus particles on a handle bar or surface, by the time the disinfecting process occurs that night, the virus will have degraded to the point where it's likely not even a problem. Regardless, how many other children are going to touch that same surface during the course of the lesson? How many times will that infected child touch a surface that other children will then touch, increasing the viral load in their little bodies to the point where their immune system becomes overwhelmed enough that the virus finally takes hold?
Of course, if there are no infected children in the gym ( and of course, ignoring right now the teaching adults or other staff) then there is no problem. Enter TRUST, that the other parents are being responsible with their own virus protocols, that they're being open and honest about where they've been and what they've been exposed to.
It's a frigging minefield!!!
At the end of the day, while it's good to stay open and receptive to the safety protocols of others and absolutely to take that into account, I told Paige that what's most important is her own level of comfort and what she can personally control in terms of exposure and risk, and that's it's completely OK that it's different from someone else's. And that she will be most comfortable with like-minded people who are, like herself, completely forthcoming about their protocols, respectful of hers, and will readily work to reach a compromise that is acceptable to both parties.
She's not alone. I'm seeing people posting on fb, my friends and family, they're are all struggling to find their footing. Even with my immediate family of my adult kids, there are different opinions about getting together. Some want to re-institute the family get togethers we used to have frequently, with the appropriate social distancing and other safety measures, and some aren't yet comfortable with that.
The thing is there's no right or wrong to either side of that and I'm grateful that at least within my own family unit there is respect for everyone else's comfort level and decisions, even when that opinion isn't shared.
I feel for Paige. Her kids had very active social and after-school lives before the pandemic. Dance class, music class, ballet, gym, parkour, martial arts, not to mention many playdates and birthday parties and get togethers. And all that's starting to open back up again, and she's anxious about what is OK and what's not. We've talked about it at length.
My opinion is based solidly on the what I know of the science of viruses, this one in particular but also viruses in general, with fulll understanding that as the corona virus is studied more, the information is likely to change. There has to be some degree of fluidity because the knowledge of this virus is ongoing.
The safety measures that are being implemented are well meaning, but in some cases just fall short of the actual science. A good example is the kids' gymnastics place. They sent out a long, informative email about the procedures they had implemented and the safety measures they were enforcing, one of which was a complete sanitization of the gym and all the equipment the kids use during their gym class every night after they closed and detailed the Health Department approved products they were using to accomplish this.
Sounds good right? The problem with that is that if an infected child uses the equipment and leaves virus particles on a handle bar or surface, by the time the disinfecting process occurs that night, the virus will have degraded to the point where it's likely not even a problem. Regardless, how many other children are going to touch that same surface during the course of the lesson? How many times will that infected child touch a surface that other children will then touch, increasing the viral load in their little bodies to the point where their immune system becomes overwhelmed enough that the virus finally takes hold?
Of course, if there are no infected children in the gym ( and of course, ignoring right now the teaching adults or other staff) then there is no problem. Enter TRUST, that the other parents are being responsible with their own virus protocols, that they're being open and honest about where they've been and what they've been exposed to.
It's a frigging minefield!!!
At the end of the day, while it's good to stay open and receptive to the safety protocols of others and absolutely to take that into account, I told Paige that what's most important is her own level of comfort and what she can personally control in terms of exposure and risk, and that's it's completely OK that it's different from someone else's. And that she will be most comfortable with like-minded people who are, like herself, completely forthcoming about their protocols, respectful of hers, and will readily work to reach a compromise that is acceptable to both parties.
