49: Should My Teen Socialize With Unvaccinated Friends?

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting

Dr. Lisa Damour/Good Trouble Productions

Kids & Family, Mental Health, Parenting, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 720 Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2021

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A Mom writes in from the deep South with concerns about whether to allow her daughter to socialize with a good friend who is unvaccinated. Dr. Lisa discusses the importance of framing the issue around the child’s safety while allowing the kid to guide the conversation. Reena asks how parents can weigh the mental health risks of not being socially active against the possibility of catching Covid. Dr. Lisa explains how parents can help their children assess these risks. Should the Mom reach out to the other family? Dr. Lisa talks about when a parent should make that call. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @LDamour, @ReenaNinan Additional resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/ Ask Lisa is produced by: Www.GoodTroubleProductions.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Ask Lisa, a podcast to help people understand the psychology of parenting, now in the midst of a pandemic.
0:12.2	Psychologist Dr. Lisa DeMore, author of two New York Times best-selling parenting books, takes your questions.
0:19.7	And I'm co-host, Rina Ninan, a journalist and mom of two.
0:23.7	Some of what we talk about comes from raising children ourselves. Most of the time, I'll be getting
0:28.5	answers to your parenting questions. So send your questions to Ask Lisa at Dr.Lisademore.com.
0:36.3	Episode 49, should my teen socialize with unvaccinated friends?
0:45.3	It's starting to feel a little bit more like fall now.
0:48.6	We are transitioning from summer.
0:51.5	Pumpkin spice season, as we call it in Ohio.
0:53.9	Totally pumpkin spice season already.
0:56.6	You know, we have this annual pumpkin carnival and we're able to do it this year, which is so
1:01.0	exciting. And I'm also hopeful that we'll get vaccines for kids under 12 by the end of the year,
1:07.3	waiting on that. We got a question in from a listener who was talking about socializing
1:13.5	with unvaccinated friends and what to do. It's such a good letter. Dear Dr. Lisa, I've listened to
1:18.4	almost all of your shows and look forward to them every single week. I'm dealing with a circumstance,
1:22.8	which I know many other parents are probably grappling with. What to do when a teen's close friend is not
1:28.7	vaccinated? My daughter's almost 13. She's an only child, but very, very extroverted, gregarious, and
1:34.9	loves people. And this last year with remote schooling has been very difficult for her. We've kept
1:40.8	her isolated for the first part of the pandemic as my husband is in a high-risk category, and we did not want to expose further risk. As soon as she was permitted, we vaccinated her and resumed a pretty normal life thereafter with visits with her best friend who she adores. Her friend has not been vaccinated, although she is eligible. Her parents have both been vaccinated,
2:02.1	so we're extremely puzzled why she is not. We live in the deep south where there is a high
2:07.1	community infection rate. The friendship has somewhat cooled off as I have not invited her to our
2:12.5	house. I am concerned that this will really impact my child who has few friends in the first place.
	...

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