With news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has once again updated its safety recommendations for in-person school, I’m taking a breath, observing my emotions without judgment, and wondering why I’m so upset at the prospect of my three elementary-age children returning, masked, to school.

As a society, we’ve adjusted many practical behaviors as we’ve learned more about COVID-19. However, on the emotional side, there’s a lot we’re still learning — which is understandable. We’ve never done this before! Notably, we still need to work on managing anxiety and weighing risk realistically. Nowhere is this more glaring than in making decisions about children and school.