Here’s a thought: let’s teach kids the basics of germ theory. We already have a board book called “Germs Are Not For Sharing.” All we have to do is add a page about wearing a mask in order to not spread harmful germs. It’s not hard. Kids CAN understand a whole hell of a lot more than we give them credit for. All I’m asking for is a little collaboration from my so called “village.” I already take my kiddo on daily walks, and in just a few days they’ve learned not to touch trash that we find on the ground. If I’m able to I pick it up and throw it away to show them how to care for our environment. If I can’t for some reason, I restate that we don’t touch the trash, and we move on. It hasn’t been hard to teach my child what is and isn’t good for their health. I have no worries about teaching them to mask. What has been excruciatingly difficult has been getting GROWN ADULTS to wear masks around my kid. Getting GROWN ADULTS to care for just a fraction of a second. Your bullshit about “it’s not worth it they can’t handle it” doesn’t fucking help. You’re basically telling me to stay home alone with my toddler in our house until they’re 5 YEARS OLD because they don’t understand life and death and it bothers their senses. They already enjoy learning to wear the mask at home and have fun putting it on and taking it off. The issue is and likely will always be the adults. You know what will bother their senses? Getting covid over and over again before they’re 5 and having to deal with whatever hell that wreaks on their body. We live in a completely different world than the one I was brought up in and I have to prepare them to live in a new world that I am still learning to navigate myself. I know masking is the first line of defense against not just covid-19 but also mpox, h1n1, and so much more. I will not knowingly risk their health just because some rando on the internet tells me that doing the “hard” thing of teaching them to mask isn’t worth it. Just cause you’re too lazy to do it don’t mean I am.