I have an 8 year old and twins that are 6. I'm sure most of you agree that outdoor play and interaction with other kids is such a wonderful time for kids.

We live in KC and school already canceled till Aug. little League Baseball/softball is delayed...league tentatively making plans to start in May.

Do we think that will happen?

We've been letting our kids play outside with neighbor kids, but not inside and washing hands a ton. Pediatrician neighbor said that was fine.

Are we crazy for doing this?

Anybody else with elementary aged kids have any thoughts?

Please don't let them see grandparents. It is breaking my heart that I have not been able to see my three in a month now. I miss their kisses and hugs and high fives. Facetime is not as good. I missed the birthday for the four year old. However they are are letting them play with the children of their neighbors. I understand it totally but as and over 70 I can't take the risk. I also am alone in my apartment rather than helping either of my children because they are out in the world more than is safe for me. I am so thankful that right now they are all safe and healthy. But I simply can't take the risk of seeing them and I am beyond lonesome.

5 and 7 year old. They play by themselves outside but not with friends.

I do think it's a bit crazy - I'd say kids and people under 60 should be able to do what they want as long as they wait at least 5 days before going around elderly people.

Feel sorry for kids that don't have any brothers and sisters.

I can't imagine a pediatrician saying that. If you take your kids to that person, I'd find a new doctor.

You have three kids at great ages to play with each other. I don't mean to be mean but the best advice I was ever given as a parent of young kids, if you can't control them when they are young, you stand zero chance when they are teenagers. In your case I would say, if you can't deprive them of being with their friends at this age, you stand zero chance of telling them they can't go to a party at 15. Parents are parents because we make the hard decisions.

People act like being with, playing with and entertaining their kids is such a chore it justifies breaking these rules.

Here's my standard question, should everyone do this or just you? If everyone does this how does that effect what we are trying to accomplish?

I walk them to their friends houses and let them play/talk outside but we tell them to not get too close and no touching. They can ride bikes together if they want. Really hard at that age to make them keep their distance though.

We let our kids go on a bike ride or walk around hood with one friend at a time every other day or so. We also let them sit outside in the yard to just talk. They stay apart and dont share a single thing. No bike swapping, nothing.

Kids adapt.

Our teenager also chats with friends throughout day on group text etc.

Not sure much has changed except competitive sports and sitting in a classroom(longer than necessary imho).

This hysteria can't, and won't last much longer. The general population can only take so much. And no, Karen, we can't just stay home for 6 months.

I live in KC too with an 8-year-old. He started working out in our garage, plays baseball,basketball (when the court is empty) and Jiu-Jitsu with me daily. Works on school stuff, reads, PS4. It's not that bad for a few months.

I have a very good grip on my kids and agree that if you can't control a kid, you are going to have a heck of a time controlling a teenaged kid.

I don't let them get away with anything because my theory is if you don't let them get away with the small stuff, the big stuff won't be a problem.

I let them play because I don't think they are at risk and neither are the other kids they play with. We know the families and everyone understands who is at risk. It has nothing to do with not controlling a kid....that is very easy to do.

The question is, does society really expect all the kids to stay cooped up for a couple of months? What will be the sign that they can play again?

As the weather continues yes to warm, I don't see people refraining from letting kids play much longer.

I have 11 and 14 year old girls. We had to cancel our ski trip for spring break with multiple families and friends. They didn't understand and cried but I had to be an adult and make the right call. Then shortly after I had to tell them they will be staying home and not playing with friends. They cried and for 3-4 days complained. It was hard but motto is parent first friend 2nd. Nobody likes this situation but we are going to do our part to keep ourselves and others safe. Hope it works out and we get back to a semi normal life soon.

I think anyone's thoughts on the matter aren't really going to matter. If X Parents and Y Parents both think its OK then it really doesn't matter if it's not OK.

The guidelines from the top don't have an exclusion for children. So if you are allowing it then you aren't following the guidelines. That fact remains even if it's A-Z Parents that are allowing it doesn't mean it's safe or smart.

Quito said:

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I have a very good grip on my kids and agree that if you can't control a kid, you are going to have a heck of a time controlling a teenaged kid.

I don't let them get away with anything because my theory is if you don't let them get away with the small stuff, the big stuff isn't the problem.

I let them play because I don't think they are at risk and neither are the other kids they play with. We know the families and everyone understands who is at risk. It has nothing to do with not controlling a kid....that is very easy to do.

The question is, does society really expect all the kids to stay cooped up for a couple of months? What will be the sign that they can play again?

As the weather continues yes to warm, I don't see people refraining from letting kids play much longer.

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You aren't refraining now, it's not weather related. Watching your kids get to play makes it significantly harder for the parents attempting to follow the rules.

The lesson the kids are learning, like it or not is that you can pick the rules you like and follow them. That's not the way the world works.

Last if this indifference to the rules spreads as you'd apparently like so your choices are more acceptable, you must understand though everyone says they are otherwise on lockdown except for so and so, we all know the slippery slope.

You won't like my opinion so sorry about that but you asked.

The guidelines are a ones size fits all solution. If two educated folks decide they won't directly affect anyone that is at risk then I am perfectly fine if they let their kids play. The goal here is to slow the spread, not eliminate it. Just don't let the nosy neighbor catch you.

Just understand that A Kids and B Kids parents will feel its just fine, then B Kids and C Kids parents will feel its just fine, then C Kids and F Kids parents will feel its just fine and before too long the A, B, C and F households have all shared germs.

There's a reason the guidelines exist as they do - because people tend to think that whatever little thing they do outside of the guidelines isn't a big deal and don't see the big picture.

Do I think you letting your kids play with the neighbor kids is doing to cause an outbreak in your neighborhood? No, statistically that is unlikely. But if every kids got to play with the neighbor kids in every neighborhood then yeah, we'd likely see community spread in one of the neighborhoods.

Was fortunate enough to move my family onto 34 acres in the last year and it's been wonderful during this time. Kids miss friends, but they spend hours at a time in the woods.

JesusQuintana said:

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I have 11 and 14 year old girls. We had to cancel our ski trip for spring break with multiple families and friends. They didn't understand and cried but I had to be an adult and make the right call. Then shortly after I had to tell them they will be staying home and not playing with friends. They cried and for 3-4 days complained. It was hard but motto is parent first friend 2nd. Nobody likes this situation but we are going to do our part to keep ourselves and others safe. Hope it works out and we get back to a semi normal life soon.

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I believe you will look back on this as one or best parenting decisions you ever made. I suspect it will form the type of parents they will become one day. Super hard with girls of those ages, I appreciate the good parenting.

To boot, you didn't have the stress the two weeks after your return would have been!

evestor1 said:

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We keep our kids away from other kids/familie b/c it seems prudent...but...

My parents and in-laws would rather die than sit around not seeing their grandkids. They are not babies and understand that life is full or choices.


IF corona is sooooo bad, then sitting in their house is not going to save them right now. The hyperbole is more pathetic than any other time in history.


These 60-70 olds do not have 12-18 months of life to waste sitting around being scared.


Get busy living or get busy dying!

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we have an alternative. We visit out daughter/granddaughter out in their front yard.

Our daughter hauls out our granddaughters outside toys and we stay socially distant. it works and we olds stay safe.

I recommend it

No the goal is to stop the spread. If we only slow the spread, we lose - medically and economically.

Think of it this way. If we merely slow the spread such that 20% of the US gets this before we have a vaccine that's ~66 million people. Of those, roughly 14% need to be hospitalized (9.2 million) and of those about 20% will need ICU/ventilator (1.85 million). Since the average ICU/intubation is about 10 days that's ~18.5 million days of ICU care we have to provide in the next ~540 days or roughly 34,222 people in the ICU every day just from this for the next 18 months.

That's roughly 15,000 more ICU beds than we have normally (source https://covid19.healthdata.org/projections). What happens to the fatality rate when every ICU in the country is overflowing for 18 months? How in the world do we operate at peak economic output in a world where our hospital system is overwhelmed?

Again, we should be thinking Crush the Curve, not flatten the curve.

By that thinking, you would have us shut down until there is a vaccine. That would be a fatal mistake for the country and world.

02skiag said:

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By that thinking, you would have us shut down until there is a vaccine. That would be a fatal mistake for the country and world.

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And that's exactly what most people want. They do not care about the consequences. Shut it down for as long as it takes...no matter what.

actually given its believed incubation, IF we did a true quarantine for 14 days and shut our borders, we could stop it in its tracks. It would not have new people to spread to. Give it another week for the outliers and it would be gone till the next pandemic.

And a quarantine would mean everyone stay in their house no leaving. No fun. Only outside if you have a back yard. But that would stop it in its tracks.

Doctors stay home too?

What you're describing is simply not possible.

AggieAuditor said:

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02skiag said:

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By that thinking, you would have us shut down until there is a vaccine. That would be a fatal mistake for the country and world.

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And that's exactly what most people want. They do not care about the consequences. Shut it down for as long as it takes...no matter what.

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Every post you make pretends there's is this mass of people out there that just don't care about the financial impact and each one is as wrong as the last.

Literally NOBODY wants that.

You should stop tilting at that windmill.

3rd Generation Ag said:

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actually given its believed incubation, IF we did a true quarantine for 14 days and shut our borders, we could stop it in its tracks. It would not have new people to spread to. Give it another week for the outliers and it would be gone till the next pandemic.

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How is this possible? Not matter how strict you get some people still have to go out and if they do there is the potential for the virus to spread. Healthcare workers, first responders, and critical infrastructure employees at minimum will have to physically go into work everyday. You would also have to find away to feed the 350 million people in this country if you're not going to allow them to go to the store. I don't know how you would do this, and any potential solution would likely just increase contact among people.