I’m going to do it--I’m going to write about masks. Again. I wasn’t going to, because Angelo and I already wrote about this nearly a full year ago and it’s tiresome. It’s tiresome to see people organize protests and behave badly at public meetings. It’s tiresome to have to pretend to understand that they “have a point” because they really don’t, you know. Most of the science backs up that wearing masks helps mitigate the spread of disease, and even the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology recommends mask wearing for asthma sufferers. I understand that much of the information is evolving… information that seemed relevant last year is outdated this year. But it’s still a pandemic and we still have to be careful.
So I am having a very difficult—and troubling—time understanding why any parent wouldn’t work with their school to help find a way to keep the kids safe rather than accuse them of, say, child abuse. Why do they show up at a public meeting and accuse the administration of inaction rather than bringing real research (the scientific kind, not the blog or my-best-friend-said kind) to the schools and help with a solution. Kids under 12 are our most at-risk demographic; they won’t be vaccinated by the time school starts—some schools already have--and the transmission rates among children under 12 continue to rise as NBC News recently reported. They’re getting it at home from unvaccinated parents. They’ll bring it to school and then there will be a whole bunch more kids getting sick. Half of my own concern about the school year starting is the fear of hearing about a child laying in a hospital bed on a ventilator. And when I hear one more time that there’s another parent or group or protest clamoring about “Unmasking Our Children” I want to scream. From behind my mask.
For most of my life I’ve worked with children and have been tasked with their safety; in education, extracurricular programs and in our visitation program. In that program, we saw how kids behaved with each of their parents individually, and that gave us a lot of information about how they navigated their parents’ divorce or separation. Our main goal, after making sure the child was safe, was to try to help the parents see how their behavior directly impacted their kids. As they grow up, a child only has access to a specific level of brain development. Current brain research shows that a human brain isn’t fully developed until about age twenty-five. This is also science-- as smart and bright and articulate as a kid can appear, their brains can only process so much; there are only so many concepts available to a child. When in doubt, they look to their parents, of course, and they mimic much of what they see, including how to handle anger, separation and attachment. And mask-wearing.
I can only speak personally about a couple of kids: my grandchildren. Their parents—my children--are conscientious and responsible and their kids wear masks. Even when it’s hard. Do my children want my grandchildren in masks all day at school? Nope. No one does, but they do it because—as I mentioned—they’re responsible. The only child I regularly hang out with is Luca—a 9-year-old. When we go out, I never have to remind him to wear his mask and he never complains about it. We even stopped at the Dollar Store once and bought a spare to keep in my car, because on one of our outings, we left his at home. (Oh. He might have complained that time; the spare paper masks I carry with me were too big for him.) He’s never had an adverse reaction, his cardiovascular system hasn’t suffered, he’s respectful of others who wear masks and he continues to be an energetic, curious kid. I totally understand that there are some children for whom mask-wearing is challenging, but I have to suggest that in many of those cases I believe it has to do with the parents’ attitude about masks at home.
Nearly without exception, parents have control of how a child handles wearing a mask. We are all in a pandemic and we should all be wearing masks. Period. There will always be circumstances which require alternate options, of course, but mask-wearing is not abuse, it’s not an “overreach,” it’s not anything but a bunch of partisan talking points. But there are parents and politicians and governors who are acting like it’s up for some sort of debate. As if wearing a mask is for some diabolical reason and not because we want to prevent a highly transmissible and deadly disease. When I see parents quoted in the news, they’re accusatory, as in, “Why are YOU doing this to our kids!” Who are they accusing? Are they mad at COVID? It doesn’t even make any sense. It’s as if their own brains haven’t fully developed.
Oh…maybe that’s the problem.
I am dumbfounded why people don't want to do their part to help keep others safe; it is our responsibility as humans. I have no more words...
can we put this on the Facey Book? There was an Unmask our kids Rabid rally onwashington sr last friday. schools NEED safety!