Our family has been quarantining along with the rest of America, but likely following a bit stricter protocol. The number of people allowed inside, excluding residents, stands at one. And gaining entrance to Fort V is no small task, what with its rulers list of demands and policies and whatnot.

And the number of times I’ve broken the bubble (not to get strip club wings, for you NBA fans) in the last five months and had to enter another building now equals five, with three of those being one minute golf fee transactions. So, as Kip would say, we’re taking things pretty serious.

So it may come as a surprise that Luca will be attending school in person in the near future. This was difficult choice, and one that was not taken lightly. Weighing the increased health risk to both him and, even more so, Jackson, against the social and developmental benefits does not provide a definitive answer on either side. The policies put in place at his school, including requiring masks for all students and teachers as well as eliminating the co-mingling of other classrooms, certainly assuaged some concerns. And supporting viewpoints from respected organizations, most notably the American Academy of Pediatrics (ie, not some partisan faux news site; seriously who reads that drivel?), also help. But the degradation of Luca’s social development was/is the big driver for us. The lack of consistent peer engagement has deteriorated how he plays and shares with others, making him more and more of a bully. Plus, recent comments such as, “I wish my brother was a real human being so we could play together” hurt to hear and make you want to find solutions. It has also helped that Hamilton County had gone from red nearing purple, to red, to orange , and continued to progress. Ultimately, we think and hope that the recent local improvement and meaningful changes at his school will reduce the risk to an acceptable level, where the return is greater.

Even so, we have put contingencies in place in the event he or a classmate contracts COVID. This includes exiling my in-laws to a farmhouse and usurping their home so as to immediately separate everyone. It is not my expectation that the school will be COVID-free all year, but that cases are isolated and outbreaks prevented. The original goal of flattening the curve remains critical so that all who need help can get it.

We will still likely maintain our position within Fort V;* the introduction of school attendance does not mean other, more frivolous activities will resume. Because while I’d like to travel or just simply go to a restaurant, Maslow (the pyramid of self actualization, for those not educated in Kentucky public schools…lol) tells me, these can wait.

* Semicolons are sweet. Please use them more when writing so I look less snobby when I do.