Myron B. Pitts: Children, masks and coping in the COVID-19 era
Raising kids in a pandemic brings a new set of variables to parenting.
Masks, for instance, have been a regular feature of my children’s lives for more than two years.
One time I was getting them ready for school and hooking up their masks to lanyards. I suddenly thought what a strange time in which we live.
My wife and I are fortunate in that Sam and Helen Ann are not too bothered by wearing masks.
Myron B. Pitts: Snow in Fayetteville?! Maybe my son will be the good-luck charm
More: Our View: USPS sending free test kits for COVID-19 to combat omicron wave
Of the two, Helen Ann, who is 6, is more likely to scold me for not wearing my own mask in a situation she thinks requires one. However, she is equally likely to be the one to jettison her own mask in what, to me, are clearly dicey environments. Go figure.
Of the two, Sam is more likely to forget he is wearing a mask altogether. So we’ll sometimes see him around the house or in the car with it on, long after there is a need.
Having known him for nine years, I am not surprised. He is not overly particular as to how he is dressed most of the time, especially when it comes to matching colors. Why would it be different for masks?
His mind is on higher things: Studying the flags of different countries, playing Super Mario Maker on his Nintendo Switch or building with Legos.
Myron B. Pitts: Cumberland health director drops the ‘E’ word. COVID-19 may be here to stay
Local news: 8 stories in 2022 that will impact Fayetteville, Cumberland County
Sometimes I will say, “Sam, you can take your mask off.”
Other times, I think what harm can it be?
Meanwhile, keeping up with mask guidelines is fun but not really.
We had settled into a routine, where we sent the kids to school with cloth masks that included filters.
Then came omicron and guidance that N95s and KN95s were best.
I hopped on the information superhighway to find children’s KN95s and was disappointed. Many were sold out, some seemed to be of dubious quality, others were expensive.
(On that note, Cumberland County is offering free N95s to residents; they can be picked up at the Health Department on Ramsey Street. Area libraries also had them but are out at the moment, according to a Thursday news release.)
Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Click the “subscribe” link at the top of this article.
Theoretically KN95s can be worn more than once, but that same principle does not always apply to children who manage to get their masks real grody, real quick. I will put it this way: Snot is not the only thing that can happen to a mask.
So, strange times we live in, I found myself the other day buying a pack of “grommets” — these are the little clasps that allow you to adjust mask straps. I found a handy way to slip them onto adult masks and make them a great fit for Sam and Helen Ann. So we just buy bulk adult KN95s for everyone.
As for how long we’ll have to wear masks — who can say at this point? I don’t expect Cumberland County Schools will drop its mandate anytime soon, nor should it. Studies show the masks work to stop the spread. Why do anything to increase COVID-19 transmission with cases in the system already sky-high?
We will also as a family keep wearing our masks indoors in public spaces.
Earlier in the pandemic, I got the four of us masks in different colors with a number 4 on each, in the style of the superhero team the Fantastic Four. I am a big fan of Marvel Comics, and we got one of my favorite family photos out of that.
But since then, I can count on one hand how many times we all four wore the masks at the same time. This team of masks is harder to assemble than the Avengers. Sam’s mask in particular has a superpower that would be the envy of the Invisible Girl — it managed to remain hidden in the crevice of the living room couch for three months.
Call it just another family story from an era of pandemic and the interesting times we live in.
Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Myron B. Pitts: Children, masks and coping in the COVID-19 era
