parenting under polluted skies

Before Beijing was shrouded in smog in early February, I felt safe enough since I saw the sun for more than three weeks, or even longer, you can walk outside without a surgical mask covering your nose and mouth.
My husband and I have been living in Beijing since 2007 and have been polluted many times before, but in the last month
Long stretches are the worst we both remember because we have children, which makes us more difficult.
Before Deirdre was born, we had barely checked the pollution reading of the US embassy, which was rated 500 of the city\'s air quality (\'beyond index\')
And often more than 150 (\'unhealthy\').
Yes, we know that the air in Beijing has been terrible and frustrating, but China has provided us with exciting opportunities to immerse us in culture and language and gain career development at home
Over the past six years, we have traveled extensively, learned to be fluent in Chinese and made friends with the locals.
However, everything changed when we became parents.
Beijing has changed from a vibrant place to a dangerous place to raise our children.
Suddenly, the haze on the horizon of blue sky day is not obvious, but it is obvious: This shows that even the best days in Beijing are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, just like our 7. month-old daughter.
In the most recent round of records
Break the pollution and we do our best to protect her-
Turn on our air purifier, record on the vents that deliver outdoor air to our apartment, and leave her in there for almost a month.
In the evening, I danced with her the cheerful James Taylor, the soothing Norah Jones, and the inspiring Bruce Springsteen tunes, but didn\'t feel much --
Good music can free me from the feeling that I am a bad parent and unnecessarily expose her to the apocalypse soup of all sorts of toxins and coal dust.
My knowledge of choosing to raise a child in a lounge equivalent to a huge smoker is worse than my burning eyes and lungs.
We have to move home because we are lucky to have another option.
On December, we will celebrate Christmas with our family in the United States. S.
While my husband and I are prepared to move home for many reasons, in addition to the shocking air quality, there is no doubt that the health of our children is the most important issue.
We will miss the city and the excellent people we meet, many of them are parents now, but we have had enough of the local weather forecast that says \"smoke\" instead of the sun or rain.
However, I would like to know how to explain our decisions to those parents, such as those parents whose baby birth dates coincide with the start time of the worst pollution in the city\'s history.
How can we say that the air in China is not good enough for our daughter, but what do we have to do for their air?
Some parents think pollution is reasonable. For example, our friend, he convinced himself that the air in the suburbs of Beijing was \"as clean as New Jersey\"
Hometown of love, but not a place that is easy to relate to fresh, rejuvenating Air (
Outside China).
He insisted that if we move out of town, our daughter-like his --
It will not be exposed to pollution.
So, while I agree that the extent to which the Chinese government allows journalists to publicly report China\'s pollution problems is a first step in the right direction, I can\'t help but wonder, what does that mean for Chinese parents like our local friends who have no other choice.
They can no longer deny that the air their children breathe is poison,
Not just an unusually stubborn foul. tasting \'fog,\')
But unfortunately, there is nothing they can do about it.
China is their home. -
They can\'t escape abroad. -
Of course, in a city with an average household income of about $2,000, the price of imported air purifiers has exceeded $10,500.
Commentators often highlight differences in American and Chinese culture, but I find that we are surprisingly similar in many ways, especially when we want the best for our children.
Chinese parents envy what we take for granted: fresh air, clean water, public parks.
I feel lucky to have the chance to stay here, but it\'s time to leave.
As I know, pollution will come back ---
If we\'re really lucky, maybe tomorrow, maybe until next week. -
I know that I will also return to the city where I have changed from a college student to a wife and mother.
Just not with my daughter.