A Pandemic Point of View

Let me start out by saying this is NOT a judgement post about schools. I think schools, parents, kids are dealing with some of the hardest decisions ever in regards to school and education.

This post is going to piss some people off, some people may want to bring in more science or total bull shit, but it needs to be said.

I was on a local parent group this morning, when a parent who is unhappy about our districts plan said,

'...News Flash! Everyone will get this virus, there is no cure. You can hide under a rock till there’s a cure or embrace Covid and hope your body can fight it off. Isolate and Protect the elderly and the vulnerable and get back to normal societal behaviors.'

This. This is where I have judgement. But my judgement comes with perspective.

My son had a condition that .04% of the ENTIRE world population has. The secondary condition he had, our team had NEVER seen in a baby.

To put it another way, my son had the rarest of the rarest of the rare.

And

he died from it.

In just the U.S. Only about 1.7% of cases of coronavirus are children. Only.

Yeah...only .04% of the ENTIRE WORLDS population have my sons condition, but sure, let's embrace it and hope you're one of the people who can fight it off. Or who it doesn't do long term damage to. Or who it doesn't kill. Let's just cross our fingers your child isn't the rarest of the rare.

Do you know what I would have done if my sons issues could have been solved by everyone wearing a DAMN FUCKING MASK!?!?

How will you feel if your kid does 'embrace' it and is in the very rare camp of not being able to fight it?! Will you feel ok with that? Will you feel like it was some left conspiracy?

OR

Will you feel anguish and pain, everyday, for the rest of your life, because your child died from something that you could have done things to help prevent?!?

Because my son's issues were not something I could have prevented. They were not something I could have put him in a bubble for and he could have survived, and I feel pain and anguish over it, all the time.

So let me say something to all those denying this, to all those saying a mask infringes on their rights, that they have the right to do whatever even if it puts others at risk. To those acting like we can't do anything to stop this, help slow it down, keep people safe.

FUCK YOU.

I don't wish badly upon people most of the time, but this time, I really hope it is your families that have to see first hand what Coronavirus looks like, and not all the families out there doing everything they can to be safe, but still have to be out in the world exposed to people like you, who aren't.

Because, I think if one of your family members, or yourself got truly ill. Long term impact, life altering ill, then maybe, just maybe you wouldn't 'embrace' it and hope for the best.

Now don't come at me that people need to live their lives. I get that.

My two kids who are still with me, are in daycare as I write this. But that decision took a long time to come to. We ensured the classes were very small. All adults must wear masks at all times, and a whole host of other precautions are being taken.

But, since our federal government is denying everything fact based, I don't know what any of the other families or the adults caring for my kids are doing outside of daycare, and that is scary, it is a risk we are uneasy taking, but still taking, because of all the precautions at the actual center.

Because you are right, our kids can't stay in bubbles forever, but that doesn't mean I need to throw them to the wolves.

Would my kids be in daycare if I lived in Florida where the government seems to not care, at all?! No. (No judgement to those who are) I am lucky, I live in a state where the Governor believes in science and has put requirements in place that allow me to feel safer about what people are doing outside the daycare walls.

So please, have your discussions on schools, make whatever decisions you think are best for your kids and family, but do NOT act like this is nothing and that you and your family are invincible because I promise you, you aren't and there is no taking the death of a loved one back.

So are you really willing to risk your life or the life of your child over a mask and some distancing?

Because I would give my life for that to have been all it took for me to still have my son here.