A husband has won a dispute with his wife — but in the absolute worst way possible. A few weeks ago, a concerned father wrote in to Slate's Care and Feeding advice column worried that his wife was putting their kids at risk to contract the coronavirus by taking her to a play group run by one of the moms in the community, but she told him he was being ridiculous. Unfortunately, he's been proven right.
In a second letter, the dad shared that not only had one of the kids tested positive for coronavirus, but now two of his kids are sick "and the rest of us are likely next."
The dad originally explained that he and his wife aren't seeing eye-to-eye with social distancing.
At the time, he was merely "annoyed" that his wife was taking their three kids — a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 6-year-old — to a "kindergarten play group."
Held at another mother's house, the play group entailed all of the younger siblings playing together in one room while the kindergarten-aged kids stayed in a different room and received lessons from another mother who was a teacher.
Although he was thrilled that his daughter would continue her reading lessons, he was worried that she would catch the coronavirus.
His wife assured him that they would keep the house sanitized and make sure the kids practiced good hygiene. And she was adamant that the risk of children catching the virus was low.
"She also states that our daughter, who is not a strong reader, needs continued education in a classroom setting to set her up for success in school," he wrote. But the dad had his doubts.
Most likely, the dad wishes he hadn't been right about this one.
That's because in a second letter to the advice column from April 15, he explained that things have quickly gone south.
On the one hand, his wife did agree to stop sending their kids to the play group after seeing the response to his first letter.
On the other hand, sadly, it was too late.
"Four days after that, one of the moms urgently called around to the kindergarten moms to say that her kid, who had been attending play group, had tested positive for COVID-19," he wrote. Out of the eight kindergartners and 10 siblings who had gone to the club, "six kindergartners and seven little siblings showed symptoms of COVID-19 within a week."
Those showing symptoms include his 6- and 4-year-olds.
Most likely, the rest of the family is bound to catch it next.
Even worse, one of the kids from play group, a 5-year-old girl, "was taken to the hospital yesterday and is fighting for her life." Her prognosis doesn't look good.
"The doctor said there is a good chance she will not survive this, as she has some kind of condition that made her more susceptible to COVID-19 complications," he wrote.
Other kids from the group have gone to the hospital as well.
Now, all of the families with kids in the play group are in quarantine. They can't get groceries, go for walks, "and are facing the impending (but thankfully somewhat unlikely?) possibility of our children dying from this," he continued.
It's especially hard to take knowing that his 4-year-old has asthma.
That has caused the parents to live in fear that any coughing fit could be a sign of the worst.
"My wife is beating herself up for taking the kids, and I am beating myself up for not putting my foot down before the kids went to the first day," he wrote.
Upon reflection, the "educational" benefits of the play group were nothing compared to the risks.
The dad is furious that they're going through agony just so his daughter "could have learned a week of reading from a first grade teacher in a group setting, instead of from a first grade teacher over Zoom."
"I and my wife will regret these events for the rest of our lives, even if all of our kids pull through it like it was a cold," he added before begging other parents to "stay inside, and remember that your children’s safety should always come first over anything else."
Columnist Jamilah Lemieux was heartbroken by the update.
She wrote that it was devastating that the "worst case scenario has come to fruition" before thanking the dad for sharing his story with her readers.
"I truly hope that stories like these will rattle those who continue to play fast and loose with their families’ health," she wrote.
Lemiuex added that she hoped the two parents can put side their guilt and support each other during this difficult time.
"Center your energies on supporting each other and fighting for the survival of your family," she wrote. "Wishing your entire community all the best."
