Fantastic essay. My daughter is supposed to be in 1st grade next year. I wanted to believe she’d be able to go back to school in fall (and somehow she’d be able to play with her friends there), but you make some very important points.

Currently, I’m receiving WA State PUA unemployment to work less while parenting her while school is out. If school remains canceled and unemployment remains, I can keep parenting/teaching her in a way I am proud of. If in-person school returns, no matter how bad a plan it is, I will lose unemployment and need to send her to school so I can work full-time.

She’s so sweet and silly and loving. When I imagine sending her away all day to a place where no one touches her, I start crying (here I go).

She still sucks her finger for comfort. I know this wouldn’t be allowed in school anymore. I think about it all the time, about having to somehow take away this one way she has to give herself comfort. Bleh. Crying.

Thank you for writing this.