Forced Flexibility, the New Normal???

In our current climate of unprecedented and ever changing life I find myself struggling to make sense of what the “doing the right thing” means to me and my humans. How can I keep them healthy and safe from a deadly virus if they cannot get the vaccine and they interact with those who have not been vaccinated? The world is creating this requirement of “forced flexibility” in which everyday I have to navigate in the dark, with only a few pieces of the puzzle available to make decisions, AND I still need and I am required to create a safe and harmonious environment for the littles…

I can already feel the wheels turning in the heads of those who are reading this blog jumping to respond and “fix” my posed conundrum. But let me stop you there…

• “You can’t live in fear!”
  • I am a realist and have lived life on the edge many times in my life, however, I will NOT play roulette with my kids life.
• “Kids aren’t having harsh reactions to getting Covid!”
  • This is correct, “most kids” aren’t and that is great. However, I have one that has asthma, and one that had e-coli less than a year ago and is still struggling to gain weight.
• “We can’t teach our kids to live in fear of getting sick.”
  • See response number two…and I will add:
    • I embrace illness and immunity building germs, but Covid killed my mother and I would like to avoid this happening to my beasts too.

I am sure you have more arguments so I will continue. As a parent most of us have new fears with every stage of our Childs’ life. When they are born and they are completely helpless they depend on us for EVERYTHING. When they gain their sea legs and get into EVERYTHING and run everywhere. When they start school some of us worry about if they’ll make friends, if they will behave and be successful, etc…then of course, don’t forget- Puberty, healthy self-esteem, healthy relationships, driving safely, first jobs, good grades, and then college. I really feel like my point has been made.

Yet, thankfully for those reading at least some of you will have a solution and the other folks reading this it may be resonating for you like . So, for those who have the solutions, how do you reason with your fears about for your children? Do you tell yourself that “it’s out of your hands and you are doing what you can then taking the leaps to live?” If so, do you have any internal arguments that challenge that resolve from time to time?

I want to travel with the littles. My family of loved ones are really encouraging me to go to Disney in January. I really want to, and I have looked at flights and hotels for the trip like twenty times, however, Florida is the hotbed for Covid. I and my adult human are vaccinated, but what happens if the kids get it?

We quarantine, ANYONE who has been exposed to the littles are to quarantine including, plane passengers, family & friends we spent time with and school mates of two classes (51 kids and their family members). With all the humans, jobs, and schools that would be affected, is it worth it for a week of fun with family? Logically-NO, it sounds selfish and harmful. Will it actually happen? I cannot predict the future, and I can’t even guarantee it won’t happen IF we DON’T go! Again, this forced flexibility and realm of WHAT IF is not longer a state of mind, it is a state of living.

Anyway…as always, to be continued!

~WM~