On Masks

What a strange four months it's been.

Four months ago, we were planning for a visitor from the states.  I was waiting for my work permit to begin teaching again in the Spring.  I was planning a last minute trip to Medellin.

A week after that, schools went to distance learning.

Then, we went on quarantine.  My children were inside for 55 days.

FIFTY FIVE DAYS.  I'm so thankful for our balcony.

They also had to learn a new skill - mask wearing.

One of my children has Down syndrome.  She turned nine a few weeks before quarantine.  My other daughter is 4.5.  That tells you just about all you need to know about her willingness to wear a mask.

However, after about 52 days inside, we learned that we could take a walk.  A WALK!  But there's no way to walk in Bogota without running into people, including at the embassy, and Colombia has mask rules.

So we bought a couple kids' masks and spelled it out: If you want to go outside, you need to deal.  My kid with Down syndrome doesn't have extreme sensory needs, and I know there are kids with SPD and Autism that won't be able to mask.  This advice is for kids who are more or less able to mask safely, but perhaps not willingly.

The first is possibly the most obvious, but maybe not.  Find a mask that fits.  Find one you like.  We have four hooks by our front door, each holding one family member's mask collection.  We have ear loops and ties and running buffs.  We have medical masks and cheap masks and cute Etsy masks.   We had to try them all out.  For my rising kindergartener, ear loops work best.  For my child with Down syndrome, who has a tiny nose, tiny ears, and also is just tiny overall, we have found that a tie mask stays on best, but since she can't tie behind her head, we also have an adult mask with ear loops that we've tied up to shorten.

They started wearing them a couple days before we resumed outside time.  They've practiced every time they go outside since.  They wear masks to run and play and ride bikes.

Is it perfect?  No.

But MAKE IT FUN and make it a requirement.

Obviously, they are kids.  They pull down their masks for a snack or a drink of water.  They touch their masks.  But wearing one beats not wearing one.

We've also had to practice voice volume in a mask.  After spending forever harping on my kids to speak with appropriate volume and NOT YELL AT ME I'M RIGHT HERE....  They have to speak up in a mask.  And speak clearly. 

Glasses fog.
Masks slip.
Dirty hands touch them and forget.

But I'll take the imperfect and keep praising them for wearing their masks, covering their noses, and helping keep people safe.

It's not too hard here in Bogota.  Everyone wears a mask.

Positive peer pressure helps!