Family Choice: Navigating COVID-19

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family choice

It’s been several months since Governor Lamont first encouraged us to “Stay Safe, Stay at Home.” Schools changed to distance learning, non-essential employees began working from home, and many local businesses temporarily closed their doors. As we’ve done our part to help flatten the COVID-19 curve, many parents have felt the physical, mental, and emotional stresses of trying to do it all. Now that businesses and local spaces are starting to open back up, families are trying to figure out how to navigate. 

Wondering how other families are navigating life lately? Twenty-two of our contributors let us know…

{This is a completely judgment-free zone! We are all in this together, let’s support each other!}

Do you leave your home/property? Where do you go? And, what precautions are/aren’t you taking?

Most Common Responses: Adults are mostly going out for weekly groceries and/or curbside pick-up and wearing masks. Children are mostly staying at (or close to) home. Families aren’t wearing masks within their neighborhood.

This Word Cloud represents all 22 responses. The more popular the response, the larger the word.

Have you visited with any extended family? 

Most Common Response: Outside and at a distance or no (for a variety of reasons)

  • No, we haven’t. I’m still too nervous, and I don’t know that my kids will be able to not hug their family.
  • My parents and in-laws are high- risk due to age and other medical issues, so we are opting not to see them.
  • Just drive by visits. We don’t get out of the car, and everyone keeps a distance from the car.
  • We have visited with my mom and in-laws. We wear masks, stay 6-feet apart, and don’t touch.
  • We visit with my parents. They are providing childcare.

Have you socialized with any friends or neighbors? 

Most Common Response: Talking to neighbors at a distance.

  •  No. I can’t guarantee neighbors are social distancing, so we don’t interact with anyone else in person.
  • Not really, aside from waving hello to neighbors and chatting in passing from very far apart.
  • If we see our neighbors out, we talk from a distance. It’s nice to talk to people in person.
  • There are a lot of kids on my block, and they play outside – they stay six feet apart at all times and mostly all keep to their own front yards and shout at each other from a distance.
  • Yes. We socialize with our neighbors once a week. We set up lawn chairs 6 feet apart.

Will your child(ren) return to daycare and/or attend summer camp? 

Most Common Response: No (for a variety of reasons, mostly camps being canceled).

  • No. They were supposed to go to daycare all summer, but we withdrew for safety precautions.
  • I will likely ask for refunds and keep them home. I feel as if I don’t have enough information yet to send them to camp when I can work from home and do not have to utilize camp for childcare.
  • My kids’ camp was canceled, but I was planning on sending them. We are sending our youngest back to daycare.
  • Likely yes, to summer daycare/preschool. They are taking all proper precautions: cleaning, taking temperatures, no parents in the building, smaller class sizes, etc.
  • I work at a summer camp, and my son will attend with me. We will strip at the door and shower immediately upon coming home.

A Few Final Thoughts…

“I’m at a loss of what to do. Mental health is so incredibly important, and it’s been so incredibly compromised in this situation. Every decision adds stress. What choice do we make? Relieve some of the emotional weight and potentially risk physical health? Follow an abundance of caution, but at the cost of real interaction? Who do we trust most? Ourselves? Our family and friends? The information put forth by our towns and country? When is the right time to reintegrate? How will we ever know?”

“There really are no “right” or “wrong” answers here. We’re all confused and frustrated, so we should all give ourselves a hefty dose of grace.”

“This is hard on everyone, regardless of their personal choices. Let’s not make it harder by passing judgment!”

“As we move into Phase 2 of this, people are going to start doing different things. The truth is NO ONE has the right answer. No one can “shelter in place” perfectly. We are all doing the best we can. I think we need to be compassionate with each other and be confident that we are making the best choices for OUR FAMILIES. It is complicated, intense, and nuanced.”

What choices are you making for your family?

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