To School or Not to School?
My three year old has his first cold of the school year. It's inevitable and completely unavoidable. You send your child to school knowing that, within the first month or so, they will get sick. I kept him at home yesterday because he was particularly snotty and drippy. I would never send him to school with a fever or a stomach bug, but a cold? Are we really supposed to keep kids home for an entire week? I don't think so. Then again, whenever I walk into the classroom and see a kid wipe his nose with the back of his hand, I silently think, 'Oh, great. Why didn't his parents keep him at home today?!'
It's a dilemma. You don't want your child to spread their grossness to other kids and you don't want to receive the creeping crud from other people's little germ factories. However, you can't keep them at home forever when they aren't running a fever and just have a little sniffle. Ultimately, like so many things, you go with your gut and try to make the best decision for everyone.
I do think that more children are sent to school sick when both their parents work. The decision is then impacted by the meetings that might be missed and the unforgiving boss. I also think there's a lot of the 'well, other people send their kids to school sick, so I will, too' mentality.
Either way, the people who suffer are our kids, and the siblings of the school-age children. My baby caught his brother's cold and I really don't think there's anything more pitiful than a sick baby. He can't breathe through his nose, he doesn't understand why he feels bad and he certainly doesn't get why I'M NOT FIXING IT! He looks at me with his big, sad, watery eyes as if to say, 'Mom, please do something about this!' The infant Tylenol, vaporizer and elevated crib mattress seem like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They probably don't help at all, but at least I feel like I'm doing something to help these pathetic, little monkeys.
So, when your child gets sick for the first time this year, I wish you all the luck in the world. Break out the tissues, orange juice, chicken soup and wash those hands a hundred times a day. Here's hoping you and your spouse don't get it, too.
It's a dilemma. You don't want your child to spread their grossness to other kids and you don't want to receive the creeping crud from other people's little germ factories. However, you can't keep them at home forever when they aren't running a fever and just have a little sniffle. Ultimately, like so many things, you go with your gut and try to make the best decision for everyone.
I do think that more children are sent to school sick when both their parents work. The decision is then impacted by the meetings that might be missed and the unforgiving boss. I also think there's a lot of the 'well, other people send their kids to school sick, so I will, too' mentality.
Either way, the people who suffer are our kids, and the siblings of the school-age children. My baby caught his brother's cold and I really don't think there's anything more pitiful than a sick baby. He can't breathe through his nose, he doesn't understand why he feels bad and he certainly doesn't get why I'M NOT FIXING IT! He looks at me with his big, sad, watery eyes as if to say, 'Mom, please do something about this!' The infant Tylenol, vaporizer and elevated crib mattress seem like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They probably don't help at all, but at least I feel like I'm doing something to help these pathetic, little monkeys.
So, when your child gets sick for the first time this year, I wish you all the luck in the world. Break out the tissues, orange juice, chicken soup and wash those hands a hundred times a day. Here's hoping you and your spouse don't get it, too.
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