Sneaky Ways I Got My Loved Ones To Wear Masks
I am no medical professional, but with everything going on in the world, washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, and wearing masks and gloves have been suggested to be some of the easiest things you can do to prevent yourself from getting Coronavirus. That being said, it can be hard to convince our loved ones to do it! Especially when they are from a different generation. Mine were refusing to wear a mask, so I had to come up with sneaky ways to get my loved ones to wear masks. With fall coming, I am trying to get mine in the habit early in case there is a resurgence.
FYI : This page includes affiliate links, which means I might get a commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you. This is what helps me work on the free content and freebies I produce for you guys, so thank you for that! Know that, I ONLY include what I use myself and stand behind 100% (learn more)
“It’s too hot!” or “We are only going in for a minute.” are two of the top excuses the ones closest to me are using to not wear a mask when in public.
I’m driving myself crazy trying to keep them safe, because some of them are high risk. Because of this, I’ve been trying all the tricks I can think of to get them to take this seriously and stay safe. I wanted to share some of my sneaky ways so you can try them on your loved ones as well!
Remember, the idea is not to use these COVID-19 tricks all at once (so they do not catch on to what you are doing.) We want them to feel that they made the decision themselves. Everyone knows, the more you tell someone to do something, the more they won’t do it.
Here are my tricks that have been most effective. Use them in whatever order will work for your loved ones to get that mask on!
Prevention.
If your loved ones are insisting they need to go to the store, make sure they really need to.
Do they really need more food? What about all that stuff in the back of their fridge? What about their stocked freezer? Do they even realize how much they have in the house? Tell them the stuff they already have will go bad if they don’t use it. (Mine had no idea that they had so much in the basement freezer until I pointed it out.)
Do they really need to buy something? If they do, do they really have to go to the store? Can’t they just order it online? If they order it online, they’re still supporting local businesses! Most local stores will also do deliveries. Tell them any benefits you can think of from ordering online including money back on a certain amount spent. There are all kinds of online deals running right now.
If all that fails, remind them of the process that’s going on at the store right now. They may only be letting in 10 people at a time into some places and only 40 into larger stores. Explain to them they will have to wait in line and it’s raining so do they really want to do that?
These 25 quarantine games and activities you haven’t done yet can help too.
Whatever excuses you can think of, give them a try.
Take walks.
Everyone gets stir crazy being in the house or apartment all day. It’s natural. Maybe it’s just getting stuffy in the house, so try opening windows and letting fresh air in. It will make them feel like they are outside when they hear the birds chirping and the sounds of cars passing by.
Some parks are open and do not require face coverings. Try taking them to the park to wear them out. At least you are naturally socially distanced there.
Maybe they are just itching to go outside. Does your apartment building have a front stoop that you can sit on or does your house have a back porch? Is there a rooftop? Or take a walk around the neighborhood. After they take a mile walk, they will forget all about why they wanted to go walk around a store. They won’t stress about refusing to put on a mask because you don’t have to on your own property.
Go for a drive.
Maybe you loved ones just need a change of scenery. Take a drive. It doesn’t matter where, just drive around. Remind them what the outside world looks like.
While you’re on the drive, take them near some closed stores to prove to them that the world is really weird for now. Look at all the other people who are wearing masks. It’s not just you telling your loved ones to wear a mask. Most stores now, you can’t even go in without wearing a mask.
This sneaky way I got my loved ones to wear a mask really worked when they saw all the signs. They understood that everyone is in the same boat, even if they think it’s a stupid idea. They see that you are not just making stuff up. Let them see just how serious COVID-19 is.
Have them wear a handkerchief, bandana, or scarf.
Because masks are “too hot,” I was able to convince my loved ones to wear a mask by at least wearing a scarf while we are in a store. With fall right around the corner, you can use scarves that are more like a bandana material. They are not itchy like a wool scarf and they tend to be easier to breath in.
Unlike a mask which is easy to take off when they get uncomfortable, if you tie it right, a scarf is much harder for them to get off. It will stay in place and hopefully they will forget they even have it on.
Make it fashion.
There are so many different kinds of masks that are popping up! You can make it fun and get a themed mask. You can make it fashion and get something that will match their outfit for the day. You can even accessorize masks now!
If you can make their mask uniquely them, it will help them want to wear it. Instead of a burden, now it’s a conversation starter. Once they get a few “cool mask” or “that’s fun,” they will be happier to wear it than just a basic surgical mask.
Wear gloves or mittens instead of latex gloves.
At this point any protection is better than no protection. If they “don’t like how the latex feels” or “it’s drying their hands out,” gloves are a good option.
They also come with a sense of familiarity. They are used to wearing gloves in the fall or winter so it’s more natural to put on gloves and mittens than latex gloves.
You may even be able to get away with using the plastic cleaning gloves most people have under their sink. This did not work for me because my loved ones never use them, but maybe yours do. And, if they don’t want to wear gloves, at least they have the mask on so they won by not having to wear both and you won because the mask is what matters the most.
See how I did that? Sneaky sneaky.
Do it for someone they love.
Give them a reason to protect themselves. Generally, we as humans have an instinct to protect those closest to us. Don’t be afraid to use children in this scenario. It works for me all the time, especially when I say their names.
My cousins recently had babies, so I remind them if they get COVID-19, they won’t be able to see the babies. They won’t be able to Facetime from the hospital. After quarantine ends, my cousins may feel a certain way towards letting them come to see the babies in person.
It’s better if they know we did everything we could to stay safe!
Guilt Trip.
Use this one as a last resort. My loved ones get annoyed at me when I do it. But, it works!
Just say something along the lines of, “Can you do it for me? You may be a silent carrier and I can’t afford to get sick.”
You can really lay it on thick saying, “I don’t have health care.” or “I’m on unemployment and I won’t be able to afford the extra cost of getting healthy.”
Tell them to imagine how they felt if they found out that they were the reason someone else got sick. You can be a silent carrier and not know you have it.
Hand Sanitizer.
If all else fails, just shower them with hand sanitizer. One day, towards the beginning of the pandemic, they really thought the world was over reacting, so I just followed them around the grocery store with hand sanitizer.
I made up a statistic “from Google” and said that they recommend that they use hand sanitizer every 10 minutes when shopping. They blindly believed me and at least agreed to do that.
If they refuse to do that in the store, then as soon as you get back to the car, just tell them to hold out their hand and put way too much hand sanitizer so they really cover all of their hands.
Remind them how important it is to wash their hands. Remind them how Coronavirus can live on packages and things up to 48 hours or so. So, even though it’s in packaging, it’s important to wash their hands after putting all their stuff away.
Make it fun.
This is the only time (usually of the week) that they get to go out. Tell them to look nice or now is the time to wear your crazy outfit. I’ve seen a number of viral videos online where people dressed up from anything from blow up dinosaurs to people wearing Halloween masks. It gives workers a smile and also brings some cheer to those walking around the store.
The best thing about costumes like these, is that they cover your face and hands which is at least some kind of protection.
Spout Facts.
Even though they have been seeing it every day on the news, their reaction to it could be dulled. They think that just because the curve has “peaked” that it means life back to normal.
Remind them just how many people died yesterday, and that is just those who made it to a hospital. Imagine how many were not counted because they were not in a hospital when they passed.
While you spout facts, just be careful not to scare them. Our loved ones are most likely not used to all these other forms of information. They are used to just watching the news. So, though we may see more accurate information online, they are just going by what they know. The more you inform them the better.
Tell Them About Your Friends (With Pics)
I am lucky enough to have friends all over the world that they know personally. When I tell them, so and so is going through this in India or so and so is going through that in London, it hits home a bit more for them.
Maybe you don’t have friends overseas, but maybe you have friends in other states. Let your loved ones know what they are doing to stay safe and maybe even have them send pictures in a mask to prove it’s not just you annoying them to wear a mask.
Do what you can to help them realize that the world is taking it seriously and they should as well. Just because we live in USA does not make us invincible. Coronavirus is not just “that other country’s problem.” It’s a world problem.
Unfortunately, this is a new world we live in for everyone, so yes your loved ones will get annoyed with you. They may even get mad at you. Just remind them that you only bother them because you love them.
These are the times we live in and things are different. It’s important to remember that this isn’t going to go away overnight. Keep your loved ones safe no matter how much you aggravate them.
Did these sneaky ways I got my loved ones to wear a mask help you? Which one worked best for you?
💞 Feel Free To Share! Your Support Is Appreciated! 💞
I’m curious… did this post help you?
What other posts would you like to see?
DM Me on Instagram and I’ll try to integrate it into a future post!