Last week, in Florida, one out of every four infections happened in someone 19 or younger.
Most school-aged children have returned to school or will be in the next week. Many parents across the country are faced with the sad reality that they are not sure how to protect their children from the COVID-19 virus. In Florida, we have already witnessed thousands of children testing positive for the virus and entire school grades being quarantined within the first week of school.
My grandson lives two hours away and I received a frantic call from my son, his dad, asking if I could drive there NOW and stay for two days because Miles was exposed to someone with Covid and couldn’t go back to school until Monday. Neither his dad nor mom could take off any more days of work. They had no one to help and all of us were thrown into a stressful situation. Luckily, I was able to find a way to keep him. What happens the next time?
There are no words to describe the internal struggle parents grapple with these days while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy for their children. The fear of them coming home ill due to exposure is probably greater. Whether we agree on facemasks, vaccinations, or virtual school - our children are suffering and parents are not ok.
While many parents are juggling work while still providing care by staying home when a child tests positive, or while under quarantine, they may not have the village of support they were promised. It could be the single mom that lives alone with her children across the street or the young couple 2 pews behind you at church.
Let’s be the light in these dark times.
Where do we go from here? How can we show support? What will the next phase of the pandemic look like? We don’t have these answers but what we can do is reach out to the parents of school-aged children that you know. Check in to make sure they’re getting the rest they need. Ask them if there’s anything you can do. Offer to drop off dinner or a board game, help with schoolwork, babysit for an hour or just be there to listen. If you are the parent that needs support, reach out to a friend, a neighbor, a church peer, the school, or a community partner and ask for help.
