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Yet another COVID risk assessment question. tl;dr: Given that my toddler is in daycare, is my risk profile already so high that I shouldn't worry about the additional COVID risk from me returning to the office? [more inside]
posted by Syllepsis on Mar 21, 2022 - 8 answers

I live in Australia, where it is summer and we've been on and off in lockdown for almost two years. Kids are still unvaccinated (thanks slow government rollout!) and I'm desperate for any new ideas of things we can do that are reasonably safe (i.e., outdoors) and do not involve sitting around the house. [more inside]
posted by contrapositive on Jan 15, 2022 - 23 answers

My primary-aged kids, especially my 8-year-old, are showing signs of intense anxiety around disease and death. I'm looking for resources that can help them cope with this in a healthy way. [more inside]
posted by sir jective on Sep 8, 2021 - 10 answers

My preschool-aged child is the only person in our extended family who has not yet received a vaccination. I am having trouble understanding the level of risk for things I might do with him. [more inside]
posted by ficbot on Jun 5, 2021 - 9 answers

Like everyone approaching the one year anniversary of staying home, our 8 year old is BORED. He likes trivia. Is there a cool trivia app that he would enjoy playing either alone or with others? Doesn’t have to be kid focused. He thinks he’s ready for all things grown up.
posted by Xalf on Jan 23, 2021 - 5 answers

I have a kid (middle-school age) desperate for in-person time with their peers. During the summer we were able to have safe meet-ups with other kids outdoors. But I live in the Northeast and winter means potentially endless months of harsh weather. The kids are all on-line and using screens during school hours, so I’m hoping to come up with non-virtual meet-ups. Any thoughts?
posted by Phyllis keeps a tight rein on Sep 17, 2020 - 14 answers

How can we make our front yard fun for a 3 1/2 year old for 15 minutes? [more inside]
posted by past unusual on Aug 3, 2020 - 17 answers

The truth is my kids need better (more fitted, more comfortable) masks than I do. My children will be returning to school in a few weeks. [more inside]
posted by silsurf on Aug 1, 2020 - 15 answers

I (non-teacher, non-STEM person) have an hour a week over Zoom/FaceTime with a 10-year-old who likes STEM but (maybe more importantly) needs some regular time with a friendly face while his parents work full-time over the summer. Looking for projects we can do together and/or any other ideas to keep him entertained and sane! [more inside]
posted by pgoat on Jun 15, 2020 - 11 answers

We are limping to the end of 3 months of homeschool + working from home, and the prospect of 3 months of summer vacation + working from home is bleak. I am looking for tips, ideas, commiseration, and suggestions for how to make this time easier and more enjoyable for my 7-year-old, my husband, and me. [more inside]
posted by Maarika on Jun 4, 2020 - 12 answers

My wife and sons love this other family that are Trump supporters. I can't stand them. It's tearing us apart. How can I navigate this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 18, 2020 - 25 answers

Daycare isn't currently an option for us, but help us weigh when to send Little Synesthesia back once it reopens. [more inside]
posted by Synesthesia on Apr 24, 2020 - 10 answers

I'm looking for ideas for ways I and my kids (ages 7 & 11) can help support local health care workers, aside from putting signs in our windows and banging pots and pans at 7 pm (and staying healthy). We don't know any personally. Is there anything else we can do during these long days at home? We're in Portland, OR.
posted by gottabefunky on Apr 20, 2020 - 11 answers

My family and I are lucky to (currently) have choices about where to locate ourselves. But we are going in circles trying to figure out the best option. Relevant factors: I am highly immune compromised with lung involvement. We have two young kids. We are Canadian/American citizens. We have been in full quarantine for three weeks and so are reasonably sure we do not currently have the virus. The question: which location would you pick and why? Are there factors I'm not thinking of? (Fair warning that the descriptions below the cut are loooooong.) [more inside]
posted by jeszac on Mar 23, 2020 - 19 answers

Hey y'all. I need help coming up with guidelines/a litmus test/decision rule for when to pull my kids from school (Kindergarten and daycare respectively) in a city with about 30 cases including several in schools although not yet the ones my kids attend. We're approaching this with extra caution because I have a severe immune deficiency disease that especially impacts my lungs and puts me at higher risk for pneumonia. Assume that I have consulted with my immunologist who supports this in theory but doesn't have a lot to say about when. More below [more inside]
posted by jeszac on Mar 10, 2020 - 27 answers