I'm holding out some hope that this mask behavior and associated paranoia (where it is unwarranted - I am fine with it when it is actually appropriate) doesn't

I'm holding out some hope that this mask behavior and associated paranoia (where it is unwarranted - I am fine with it when it is actually appropriate) doesn't royally screw up kids, but... it's tough. Nobody seems to wants to study it in a scientific fashion because it's new, it's temporary, it's no big deal according to [unrelated previous data/assumptions]. You can find or hear uncountable anecdotes about older (but still young) kids feeling somehow wrong about not wearing masks, of infants screaming in "fear" when they see a full face without a mask, and all kinds of similar scary things. And since we as a society trust science and castigate anyone who doesn't, these anecdotes are absolutely useless trash because they weren't properly controlled or recorded. Doesn't change when my friend's 4yo daughter broke into tears when she was told she didn't have to wear a mask at the zoo we were all visiting, because, in her words, "I hate if people see my mouth" Ain't lookin' good from my perspective,.