Parents ponder COVID risk to their children

DEAR AMY >> We have a few family events coming up that will include adult cousins who have been vocal about not getting vaccinated, along with their children who are too young to be vaccinated.

We are vaccinated, but we have children who are not old enough to be vaccinated and who would also attend the events.

The gatherings will include time indoors without masks and I do not know if the cousins would agree to even get COVID tests before the events.

I doubt that discussing these issues with the cousins would be productive.

My sense is that they feel strongly about these issues and that we would create conflict by mentioning these concerns, and we would not sway them anyway.

We would be sad to miss the family events, but also do not want to put our own unvaccinated kids at risk. How should we proceed? — Worried

DEAR WORRIED >> If you don’t want to put your unvaccinated children at risk, then you already know the answer.

With COVID cases on the rise and with variants seemingly on the ascent, it would seem foolish, to say the least, to willfully congregate with unvaccinated people indoors.

According to a report using national data compiled by the American Academy of Pediatrics (aap.org), “As of August 12, over 4.41 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Over 121,000 cases were added the past week, a continuing substantial increase. After declining in early summer, child cases have steadily increased since the beginning of July.”

Although serious disease requiring hospitalization is still rare among children, it seems logical that if you can avoid an obvious risk, you should.

I hope your other family members will also be cautious.

DEAR AMY >> I wanted to write in with encouragement to “You’re My Mom,” the adoptive mother who felt insecure about her son’s new relationship with his biological family.

As an adopted child myself, I struggled for years deciding whether to look for my bio family. I love my parents and never felt anything to be missing in my life, but eventually became curious and did connect with my birth father via DNA testing.

I wondered and worried how my parents would react.

They couldn’t have been more supportive. They told me they’ll always be my parents but that they are so happy I have even more family around to love me. My birth father and siblings haven’t replaced my family, but they have added to it. I affectionately call them “bonus family”!

I hope this mother knows that she can never be replaced. If her son is comfortable with this, perhaps she might consider meeting and getting to know his biological family as well, to feel included in the experience and wholly part of his enlarging family.

— Adopted

DEAR ADOPTED >> This is a lovely tribute to all of your parents.