Originally Posted by
newnana
HUGE hugs. I hear ya. DH and I are both essential as well and working close to 80 hours a week right now, while being required to take mandatory PTO..s insert Stepfordish, "I'm such a lucky girl" here. Luckily, we can both do our jobs from home. I'm working with a bunch of folks with toddlers and cannot imagine trying to do that. Our DD is a teen that has been asked to babysit for folks working, and we've had to say no due to how the babysitting is set up, DH being immunocompromised, and he and DD being high risk.
I know you aren't asking for solutions, BUT, for a one off case like this? I would find a way to have a social distancing babysitter, if both families having been essentially quarantined for 2 weeks I would let DD babysit like so: Garden hose, baby pool, water balloons etc outside? Lawn chair or beach towel taped off 10 feet away (you know, prolonged exposure). Teen sets up near by obstacle course with pool noodles and hula hoops etc while little ones play in water. Everyone sidewalk chalks then gets to run through the sprinkler.... all outside at a distance. Cooler outside with cheese sticks, fruits, water bottles, sunscreen. Minute to win it games set up by teen - buckets and balls for ball toss, hold hula hoop up to toss, etc. Anything that requires closer than 6 feet like a diaper change, teen texts mom sos. Teen needs bathroom? text mom sos and walks home really quick. Ideal? no. Work for you to set up? My word, yes. Good for the teen to have something to do, good for you to have a little time to focus. my teen desperately misses hanging with the toddler crowd, she would love this. Just an idea.
Hang in there, it sounds like a no-win situation right now