As I previously posted, the lovely Coronavirus has definitely changed life as we know it. We can’t leave our homes without first making up (at least I hope that is what you are all doing). Of all the studies I have read, it seems that the risk of developing COVID is not higher for us diabetics, however, the seriousness of the infection could be worse for us than someone without a chronic illness. I have had a lot of patients and parents ask me, should my kid go back to school? Should I go back to work? Honestly, this is something you need to dig deep and answer for yourself.
My kids are now 11 and 14, one started middle school this year and the other started high school. Am I worried that they will get sick? Not really. Am I worried that they will perhaps come in contact with someone who is sick and pass it along to me, a little bit? But after a lot of reading and time and discussions, we opted to go back in person. My kids did not thrive in the online world. I loved the fact that we were all home and we could spend more time together, but I am in the medical field and staying home is not an option for me. They have missed their friends so much and missed socializing. My daughter has a phone and talks to her friends a lot. My son not so much. He seems to have suffered more with the isolation then she has. So in-person school it was.
Here we are now 3 weeks in and so far so good. Our schools seem very well organized. Kids must wear masks. They are assigned seats in each class and their seats are recorded. They have PE and although they can’t go into the locker room and change, my daughter has found a way to quickly change in the bathroom. They don’t have lockers (fear that kids will congregate in the halls has led to the school forbidding the rental of lockers for now), so they have to carry their stuff each day. But they are so happy. They are more active (each averaging about 10,000 steps a day compared to their 2,000 steps a day when they were doing virtual school.
I firmly believe that isolation is not good for any of us for long periods of time. I don't love wearing a mask all day but I do it because I have to. I have no personal feelings of “my rights are infringed upon” and all this other stuff I hear. This virus is not a joke. And yes it is much more contagious than other illnesses. It seems to pass more easily from person to person. I hear people talk about herd immunity. Part of me wishes we could all just get exposed at once and may the strong survive, but that won’t eradicate it. You can be reinfected. Will life ever go back to normal? Will we ever be able to go back to how things were? I honestly do not think so.
I have still not gone to eat in a restaurant, and I don’t miss it. I have picked food up and taken it home. I have no desire to go to a movie again, to be honest. I am happier this summer then I have been because we have spent more time outside, enjoying nature. Swimming and going to the beach. I forgot how lucky we are to have so many beaches nearby. Do I feel safe going for a bike ride or swimming in a pool? Yes, I do. I would much rather be outside than inside. I would rather be in a small group then a huge gathering. I miss going to church and I miss having small gatherings, but this whole coronavirus outbreak has made me realize what I truly treasure.
My family means more to me than anything else in the world. I am happy they are safe and they are healthy. I wish I could protect them from the world, from ever feeling any pain or sadness, but I know that I can’t. They will have to go through trials at some point in their life, as I have gone through trials. I know that them going back to school will give them a sense of normalcy in this world of abnormal. We can’t go anywhere without a mask. It’s weird and different for everyone to see people wearing masks everywhere. It’s weird for us all that we have had to change the way we do things and we have had to be more conscious about what we choose to do. They have been sedentary and they have been cooped up and I can see the change in them, in their personalities and their attitudes. I do not like it, they need to regain some sense of normal life, and going to school in person is a beginning. It is helping them to be kids again.
So what do you all think? Are you sending your kids or keeping them home? Are you worried? Are you afraid they will get you sick? I can’t stress enough to my kids the importance of good hand washing and of not touching your face. I truly believe if they are diligent in doing this, we will all be ok.