My sister-in-law in Perth (Australia) was complaining last night to me about the lengthy isolation periods she and all her friends were going through, as each of their kids get covid (because that's what university/high school age offspring do) in succession, every few weeks. Two of her kids have had covid over the last two months, and she is expecting more time spent in isolation as her youngest, and then she and her husband, inevitably (as far as she is concerned) get covid. (For those who don't know, Western Australia has been much like NZ, covid-free with life as normal for the majority of the pandemic so far, but omicron was their undoing, as it was ours.) She was telling me about all the meals her friends were dropping off to her because she had been sick (not covid this time), and said they had all been doing that for the last few months through these isolations.
I had two reactions. The first was one of, ironically, isolation. We only have a few friends who live close to us, so there wouldn't be a lot of food drop-offs if we get sick, or vice versa. Whereas her network comes from the friends they made through all their children and their various schools, so they are all linked, and centred around a similar location (the schools) too.
My second reaction was smugness. If DH gets covid, I'm very likely to get it, and vice versa. We'll have to isolate then, but that's it. No lengthy or multiple inconveniences brought home by kids. I shared my smugness with her. That's when the conversation ended!
Well, she's allowed to complain of course, but I wish people would think more about their audience before they start complaining. I am sorry for her isolation periods, but I'm glad she followed appropriate protocol. I'm also glad she has a community to help her out with food and stuff. (I need to build a community in my new town. Moving during a pandemic is tough.) Good for you for being honest, which also led to that topic of conversation ending lol.
ReplyDeleteLaughter. Pros and cons........
ReplyDeleteI love the delicious pettiness of the smug sharing. :) It feels both good and a little evil when that happens, so huzzah! Lots of my friends from work are also having the kids-> parents COVID isolation, the falling one by one. I agree, it's nice to know that if one of us gets COVID, it won't be as drawn out as if we had kids and kids and kids. It's so disheartening that we're headed into another spike so soon. And very few people are masking up as the cases rise, which can't be good...
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can tell, the current surge (wave #6 here!!) is being driven by new cases at schools and on kids' sports (hockey) teams, following the removal of most restrictions by mid-March, including mask mandates (including in schools)... and of course the kids bring the virus home and everyone there gets it, including the parents & sometimes grandparents. I'm hearing about absence rates of 20-30% at some schools. There are advantages to being childless!! ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd here I am. We were making sure my mother got her vaccines as soon as available, my father soon after. We spent a couple hours on christmas to travel to a different town so DP got his shot #3 earlier than in our own city. my daughter was the first from her class to get the shot, in between quarantine periods. And indeed early march with most restrictions lifted the family dominos started falling, beginning with yep, my mother. Who probably has the most intricate social network of us all. (then my father, then the kid, DP and me were last) I guess it's a bit of a numbers game. overall just grateful that there were no serious health complications for any of us. Just battling low energy and brainfog myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that! I hope you're taking care of yourself, and not trying to do too much too soon. (There was just an item on our TV news - as I was cooking dinner - warning us about that.) As much as that is possible when you're thinking about elderly AND child care, of course. Sending hugs!
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