as pediatricians we really do know what youre going through said diamond who has a forthcoming book parent like a pediatrician not everyones struggles are the same but weve seen you throughout this pandemic ive seen parents throughout this pandemic and i think what it does is it just makes me feel all the more protective and even angry on behalf of parents because ive seen that journey not just for me since last march king has advocated for vaccination to reduce transmission and prevent prolonged illness related to covid19 infection she plans to have her daughter vaccinated as soon as she is eligible i was one of first to get the vaccine myself and i hope my daughter will be one of the first children to get it when it becomes available king said noting that that could come before the end of the year we will be eager to have her vaccinated as soon as we can we can see the direct effects of vaccination zip code by zip code in the united states masking mandates have become a lightning rod issue this school year though mask use is crucial to prevent the spread of the virus particularly for those still too young to get the vaccine the doctors said the only thing that will traumatize kids about masks for the next few months is continuing to make it a debate conversation when the conversation really should be what kind of safety and support are we giving children for the next few months so that they feel safe in home they feel safe in school they feel that if they get covid they will do well that will keep the hospitals open and staffed appropriately diamond said the things you can control are how you frame your own peace of mind and your own comfort and safety and how you model all of this to your kids more pediatricians advice for parents confused about kids and face masks amid covid19 surge king urges people to buckle down again amid surging covid19 cases and hospitalizations to which she has a frontrow seat its so hard to sometimes really incorporate statistics and numbers into our lives and really feel what that means but its really easy for me because i go to work every day and i can see with my own eyes what coronavirus can do to a child and the impact it can have on a family she said so its very clear to me how valuable it is to try to control this virus and to try to avoid it abc news arielle mitropoulos contributed to this report