My daughter (11) has anxiety and did something similar twice - once, also at soccer and once, at a second co-op we were going to try. The co-op president assured me they wore masks, distanced, followed all the precautions. We got there and it was a joke. Some kids wore masks, but as chinstraps. One teacher took her mask off to talk to us. Another didn’t even have one. Kids were seated three to a table, mostly unmasked. She ran out and hid in the car, panicked. We have another child who is at high-risk, and she didn’t want to get him sick. 😞 It’s now been several months since both of those incidents. We didn’t join the co-op and she’s back at a different soccer program, where everyone wears masks, even the parents watching on the sidelines. Mask compliance in our area is generally high, except in certain demographics. She’s now been to church, youth group, and other situations where masks are strictly required. But yesterday, at our first co-op’s end of the year party, she had a conversation with another kid that was very similar to what your son heard, She didn’t panic or freeze this time but we were able to discuss it rationally afterwards. I know our circumstances aren’t the same, and that you have other extenuating and difficult circumstances, but what helped in our situation was time.

Yes, I have three I’m homeschooling right now. Ages 8, 11 and 14. Our 16 yo was homeschooled from grades 4-7 but is now attends a local private school. Our 14 yo will follow him next year and the 8 yo will return to public school due to his profound special needs. I’ll just have the 11 yo home. It’s likely that next year will be our last, since the 11 yo would like to go to school in 7th grade.

Agree. I have a child who is fed exclusively by feeding tube and several years ago, Blendtec donated a refurb model to us to blend his food. It’s amazing, it changed my son’s life for the better, and I will always be loyal to them for their kindness.

I’m relieved as well, but concerned about appeals. Judge Cahill alluded to this yesterday in court, suggesting that Maxine Waters’ statements at a rally in Brooklyn Center might give the defense grounds for appeal.

I personally love Sonlight. If you do Core F or its Bookshark equivalent, there are lots of hands-on options: a China kit that includes calligraphy, an origami book, and regular choose-your-own adventure activities like cooking ethnic foods. She’s at the right age for that program, too. Go with the 4-Day version. It’s much less overwhelming in terms of reading.

Yes, it’s devastating for our community, especially in light of the Derek Chauvin trial underway. I know the area well.

We are back at church and it’s good to be back, although it’s definitely not the same as it used to be. Everyone is masked, seated in family groups and distanced from other households. The sanctuary was maybe 25% full. There is no singing and the entire service is actually pre-recorded and projected onto a large screen. No Sunday school, but they will be opening the nursery and children’s church next week. No socializing indoors afterwards - everyone is urged to gather outside, with masks required even there.

I have an 8th grader who will attend a private high school next year. He has been homeschooled since 1st grade and is a fairly reluctant writer, although he’s made some great strides in recent years. We’ve done several levels of Writing and Rhetoric followed by a few years of IEW theme books. We’re kind of burned out on IEW anyway and I have six weeks left to homeschool him. I wasn’t sure that IEW was teaching him the specific types of writing he’ll need in school anyway. What resources would you use to teach high school-type academic writing in this short period of time?

We used the IEW theme books.

This is pretty gross, but my son had a similar issue a few years ago. One time, he vomited in bed and it looked like he vomited up entire chicken nuggets. Only, we hadn’t actually had chicken nuggets recently. He had eaten penne pasta, however, and apparently it expanded in his stomach. We never got an explanation and he’s since grown out of it, but I feel your pain!

I really like the levels from Fable up to Chreia or Refutation. After that, the source reading material gets so long that my kids were spending more time reading than actually writing.

Praying for you.

In our area, we do have drop-off tutorials that are sometimes incorrectly called co-ops. Or, parents might have responsibilities only a few times a year. We almost joined one this year like that — I would have to volunteer 2-3x a semester, but could otherwise drop off my kids once a week. It didn’t work out because they advertised following Covid precautions but in reality, did not.

Have you tried chaffles? They’re just waffles made with egg & cheese, with optional add-ins. I just recently discovered them. There are tons of recipes all over the Internet. They’re kind of like an omelet in the form of a waffle.

I now teach at our co-op during two of the three class hours. Last year, when I didn’t teach, I helped out in classrooms the same amount of time. We have a two-deep policy, so parents are required to help out in classrooms. The third hour, parents are free to socialize with each other or work quietly on their own. I spent a lot of time catching up on things on my to-do list that could be accomplished online or over the phone, planning future lessons, etc. It’s usually the moms who are there, but I’ve seen dads and grandparents fill in when needed, too. The church where we meet requires us to have a responsible adult on site for each kid, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a parent. I really think co-ops are going to vary on this, so best to check with the specific one you’re considering.

Yes, my dad had Ewing’s sarcoma several years ago and had excellent medical care at the University of Minnesota. Rein in Sarcoma is an organization that promotes funding for research and awareness in our area. Here is their medical advisory board; I realize we are very far away, but perhaps one might be able to consult with local doctors. https://www.reininsarcoma.org/home-page/about/medical-advisory-board-2/

This is especially difficult to think about having a disabled child who will never live independently. I fully expect I will be caring for him until my health no longer allows me to do so. I hope my other children will pitch in, both with him and with me, but I can’t expect that of them. Good group homes are very difficult to find and it is hard to think of entrusting a nonverbal, developmentally delayed child (even one who has physically matured, but is mentally still a child) to people I don’t know.

Our church, a member of the Evangelical Covenant denomination, has been extremely cautious. They have not offered live services since March of 2020. The sanctuary was open for people to watch the digital service together last summer, with social distancing and masks strictly required. We have had a few outdoors events but other than that, everything has been on Zoom. Because we have a medically fragile child, we have also been quite cautious — but I am starting to see how this extended closure is hurting my other kids, in particular. DS#2’s church friends were his primary social group since he is homeschooled. He hasn’t seen them in person in several months, and only on a few occasions. DS#1 has totally disengaged from youth group — he has no interest in Zoom youth group. I feel like the church could have taken better advantage of summer to have more in-person events. I also feel very isolated and really miss our community. Other churches in our area have been open safely for months, following strong Covid precautions. DS#1’s school has been in session, in person, with precautions, every day this year. Vaccinations are in full force here and with the weather improving, there is another window of opportunity for safe outdoor activities.

I have a developmentally delayed child who is also medically fragile with an immune deficiency. His doctors ok’d having PCAs in the home as long as they mask and wash hands frequently. My son will mask outside of our home, but not at home. It’s gone very well so far and is much needed help!

We attend a co-op that offers a nursery as well as classes for preschool - 8th grade. There are usually one or two high school classes, too. The way it’s structured, kids in grades 2-8 are divided into upper and lower tracks, and there are usually 3 classes to choose from for each class period. There are 3 class periods in total. Classes are increasingly academic at the upper track level, but more enrichment at the lower track. I teach lower track classes currently and I do wish classes would be divided even more narrowly by age. I have some 2nd graders who can barely read and write and some 5th graders who are capable of doing middle school-level work, all in the same class. It is hard to come up with lesson plans that engage such a wide age range. Some teachers are recruited to teach from outside the group and paid accordingly. I attended with my kids before I started teaching this year and I’m teaching within my academic area of expertise. My kids have enjoyed their classes and they definitely benefit from having teachers whose areas of expertise are different than mine.

My son had pretty severe reflux as an infant, so much so that he had a Nissen procedure done to prevent him from refluxing. It failed, so now he is treated by a GI doctor with omeprazole.

I’ve tried some MB products and my kids hated them. It’s a good thing, because I also found them to be below grade level with not enough practice. I think people like them because they look very professional, they’re easy to implement and they don’t take much time.

This is great news - I’ll definitely check this out!

I walked into a restaurant for takeout yesterday and it was absolutely packed. We have a mask mandate but not while eating, obviously. It felt like 2019. I got out of there as fast as I could!

I would text back, expressing my concern for her well-being and then in the future, make sure that the driveway/sidewalk/stairs/porch are free of any snow or ice that might contribute to falls (if that was a factor.)