Germs? Ain’t nobody got time for that…

This meme was first published on my Facebook page in February of 2019 (B. C. – before Coronavirus) to describe the precautions we dance parents take to keep our kids from getting sick before a dance competition.

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2021 UPDATE

Here we are, over a year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. These days, everyone is well-versed in how to properly wash their hands and wear their PPE. But back in 2019, this meme was created as a simple joke, meant to poke fun at the lengths we dance moms were tempted to go to protect our kids from common illnesses like the flu, colds, stomach bugs, and other maladies that didn’t plunge the planet into a worldwide lockdown. Ah, the good old days…

Now that the world has begun to open back up, many parents are looking at ways to keep their kids’ immune systems operating optimally. When I hear that a nasty sickness is making its rounds in school, dance school, or elsewhere, I stock up on Airborne for the girls to take each morning. I’m always encouraging them to drink more water (I should probably take that advice myself) and get plenty of sleep (um…yeah, that one too). When they come home, I remind them to wash their hands (“But we just did, Mom!”).

When competition season starts drawing nearer, my maternal instincts kick into overdrive. My gentle encouragements become more forceful directives, and my kids’ exasperation levels (coincidentally?) increase. Even pre-COVID, I’ve been known to say things like, “No, you can’t have a sleepover at So-and-So’s house! Her sister had the flu two weeks ago, and you have a competition next weekend! Are you mad?!” Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But yes, I have refused to let my kids go somewhere because other kids there were sick (or just sprung from their recovery beds).

To people outside the dance world, this probably seems nuts. And you know what? I’m okay with that. We invest way too much in terms of time, money, and effort to jeopardize something that we’ve all worked so hard for. Also, we have an obligation to our team (a.k.a., our dance family) to do the right thing, and I absolutely refuse to let them down when I can help it.

I wonder how much these hazmat suits cost…

2020 POST

Back in 2019 (when I first published the meme), I was referring to a cold, the flu, or other common illnesses. How I wish that was our biggest problem now in 2020! I never thought I’d feel nostalgic over stomach viruses, but here we are…

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle

For 5 tips about wearing a mask onstage, go to Dancing with Masks – 5 Tips.