Can My Daughter Play With Unmasked Children?

A reader asks for advice on dealing with neighbors who don’t enforce mask-wearing with their kids.

My wife and I have a disaster on our hands! We recently moved across the country with our 8-year-old daughter for a major job opportunity for my wife. We don’t know a soul in our suburban town. And I believe this is a critical time for our daughter to learn social skills and make friends (especially after a year of isolation). The problem: The only other kids in our neighborhood don’t mask or social distance when they ask her to play. When I talked to their parents about Covid precautions, they looked at me like I had three heads and refused. Nothing is more important than our daughter’s safety, but we care about her socialization too. What should we do? MAX Start by dialing back the drama. There is no “disaster” here. Sure, it would be super convenient if your daughter could play safely with her neighbors. But apparently she can’t. (You asked!) Wearing masks and social distancing are still important for playmates who are too young to be vaccinated.