...and she had to pay for her son’s daycare to keep his spot despite the fact that he was at home with her at the beginning of the pandemic.
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Foolish and frivolous. This does not help her cause.
You are quite wise. She should have asked for your advice. You would have told her that the pandemic was going to be going on for over a year. She probably thought it might be one or two months, then back to normal. What to do with this kid when it ends in one or two months? It is a little like a rent-controlled apartment. Or a stock option. It has value that can't be strictly converted to dollars.
she has no option, she would lose the spot.