The Maturity of A Pre-Teen Girl

We had a family movie on Friday night.  Our daughter was supposed to have a sleepover that night but it didn’t work out. The friend who was hosting the sleepover isn’t vaccinated and neither is the rest of her family.  Our daughter is vaccinated but her little sister is still too young.  How can we in good conscious send her to a place where she can pick up the virus and bring it back home? I know her friend wasn’t too happy with our decision.  Many people around here don’t believe that COVID is a real threat or that we should have any restrictions and they sure don’t trust the vaccine.  I think it’s starting to get to me. I’m starting to worry that I’m being paranoid and overprotective.  That I’ve been brainwashed by the Liberal Media! I’ve seen two local businesses post on Facebook that they are not going to discriminate and force their customers to show proof of vaccination once that comes into effect.  And the comments are all the same – thanking them for standing up to the restrictions and not bowing to pressure. They find masks oppressive and restrictions meaningless. Those who are going to die probably have some health issues or are old so it doesn’t really matter. This is what I hear day in and day out. This is what my children hear. 

However quite to my surprise (and immense pride) when we told our daughter that going to an unvaccinated house for a sleepover was not a safe decision, she agreed.  She understood that we are not saying no to be mean but to keep her and her sister safe.  She didn’t put up a fight.  She didn’t try and make excuses or argue her case. She accepted our decision with so much maturity that it broke my heart. Why can’t adults be as mature as my soon-to-be 13 year old daughter?  Whose birthday is in less than two weeks.  Whose birthday plans are wrecked because adults don’t want to wear a piece of fabric across their faces when they are out in public or get a quick jab in the arm because they read an article on Facebook and that was enough research for them. 

 

So our own little household bubble will have our own celebration.  We will do something special ourselves to mark her birthday. I will attempt to keep my sanity and reason in check and I will do my best to keep my family safe and happy.