Like everywhere else in the US, COVID-19 cases are increasing drastically, and death rates have taken a northern turn as well. YSS's school is planning to open in three weeks with either an in-person or distance learning option.

After zero discussion with DH, BM and YSS decided he would go to school in-person. Granted, when they made this decision, cases had not started creeping up yet. Additionally, YSS needs the structure of school to get his work done. BM provides exactly zero structure at home (always has, homework was a nightmare, fairly certain I have bald spots from pulling out my hair about it).

This makes me nervous. With him physically going to school, YSS will be back on an EOWE rotation. I'm not okay with that. I don't want him to sweep in on a weekend and find out he's sick after he has already left, infecting both households. DH and BM have been doing every two weeks over the summer, which has been better because we could at least try to contain an outbreak in one place.

But with YSS having daily contact with hundreda of kids? And BM working a new job in a factory? And BM and her DH now drinking the "masks are dumb and 'Muricans will die to save the economy" Kool-Aid, I've lost any (probably false) sense of security I once had.

So what does DH do? Not see YSS? Talk to YSS about the changing landscape and see if his decision has changed (he's going I to high school)? Talk to BM about YSS doing distance learning instead? If he does distance learning, he stays on the 2 week rotation, which is honestly fine. As a side note, YSS wants to wear a mask and has no issues wearing one or using hand sanitizer. He keeps both on his person without reminder. My concern isn't with him; it's with the "yahoos" he lives and goes to school with.

And I also have moral issues with putting teachers and school staff at risk without providing them the things they need to operate safely, but that's an entirely different discussion. AND it's YSS's health, so I feel like he should have a say with the most up-to-date data available.

And because I know it will be asked, yes, DH has joint legal custody. He technically has say over YSS's education.in in practice, though, BM has always made the decisions. Generally, those decisions have been good ones and DH didn't need to "flex". This, however, is different.

And don't argue with me about "COVID being overblown" or whatever. I work in infectious disease, and I take my cues from the expert providers I work with daily. They went from being cautiously optimistic to alarmed, and that's prompting me to reconsider going back to Stage 1 in my personal containment of COVID.