The Sickie Dilemma...

Status: Happy--one of my research books arrived yesterday!

I decided to read it with a highlighter--so I could go back later and make notes, but I pretty much wanted to highlight the entire book, so that was silly. The book is AWESOME. It really backs up my decision to write what I'm going to write. What's interesting, is this book was originally published in 1981, so it's not anything "new." Sometimes I just want to hit myself in the head and wonder where I've been all these years, and why I never asked questions before.

ANYWAY, I feel guilty, because I sent Thing Two to school. He has a cold. He is coughing, and sniffling, but he doesn't have a fever. My criteria for keeping them home from school is they have to have a fever. Otherwise, I give them something to make them comfortable, and they go.

Thing Two was BEGGING me to stay home today. He said he felt horrible at school. His head hurt, and he was tired, and his throat hurt, and basically, he was going to expire any second.

I felt his forehead, but it was cool and dry. What to do? I was all for keeping him home, but Hubby (who is also sick) told him to get tough and get through school.

Then I looked on the calendar and said "hey, aren't you having your icecream party in class today?" Thing Two looked at me and said:

"You know what? I think I'm feeling better."

Hmmmm....."But," I said. "You just told me you were going to die if you went to school."

"Just give me some medicine, mom, I'll be fine."

I still feel bad for sending him, but I suspect he was "hamming it up" (just like *I* did at that age) so he wouldn't have to go.

It's a tough call for mothers. Frankly, I'm all for letting them stay home when they're feeling miserable. But when you have a head cold, you feel miserable for DAYS. That's too much school to miss. So, we go to school with colds. We stay home with fevers. Fevers mean something else is amiss, and you're definitely contagious.

It's a tough one. But there's probably a million other kids at that school with colds, too. It's a risk you take with Public school.

Well, it's Friday! Another quick week. Thing One has two girls coming over for a sleepover, and I am thinking this is not such a great idea. Especially since she has a soccer game tomorrow morning. But they've been "planning" it for a week, so they're very excited.

We'll see what color smoke comes out of the chimney tomorrow...