Keep Your Sick Kid Home!
Hey parents, why can’t you just keep your sick kids home?
My kid is rocking a nasty cough and fever this week, and She knows exactly which kid she got it from.
“This kid who sits right next to me in reading was coughing all week last week and he could barely stay awake. I tried to stay away from him but we got paired up for a project.”
Ugh. Pardon me while I scream.
Look, I get it. Sometimes you think it’s just allergies. Sometimes you think your kid is all better.
Sometimes you have to go to work and pay the bills.
I understand, I do— but can you please find another way to keep your kid home. The school has rules. You are not following them, and now you’ve cause a damn flu outbreak that is going to take out half the fourth grade.
All because you had an important work meet you just couldn’t miss.
I don’t care. I don’t care that real life happens and that sometimes you can’t fjnd someone to watch your kids. I don’t care that your job is going to fire you if you don’t show up.
READ: Stop Hating On Working Moms
I do care that your sick kid is infecting my kid, and then she’s infecting me, and now guess what?
I’m missing work because you refused to.
Selfish.
If you pumped your kid full of Motrin this morning and sent them to school even though you knew they were running a fever, then you’re a bad mom.
If you told your kid to suck it up even though you knew they had strep throat, then I hate you.
Because I really really hate strep throat.
So do us all a favor, and keep your sick kids home. Whatever it takes. Figure it out.
Never, ever, call someone a bad mom without knowing them or their circumstances. While I don’t personally “pump my kid up with Motrin”, I do empathize with parents whose choices are very limited. Knowing that there are those who send their sick children to school, try boosting your own child’s immune system to help keep them healthy. I believe that we all are trying to do the best we can in this life and not all of us of us have the luxury of typing out opinionated blogs while sitting on the couch drinking coffee all day.
I did keep my daughter home and got yanked into truancy court when she was in kindergarten, for crap sake, ridiculous! That’s when I knew she was nothing more than a #, a paycheck/$ sign to the school district. Same crap in 1st grade, so before the school year was even half over I pulled her out and have home schooled her ever since. Never looked back and couldn’t be happier. She is now 16, very smart, healthy, happy (no bullies either, bonus) and I could not be prouder! However, I realize not everyone can do this. I guess being disabled has had it’s advantages, being home all the time helped. Wish they could figure out a better way to deal with sick kids and we were a country that valued the children and family unit more than professional athletes or actors or politicians and paying teachers better and give working parents time off for sick kids
not lost wages, grief, fear, etc. No easy answers.
YEEEESSS!!! KEEP YOUR SICK KIDS AT HOME!! And NO I won’t keep my kid in a bubble when the SICK kid should the one in one!!! DON’T COMPROMISE other kid’s health when you don’t know if they have a fragile immune system and could have very serious consequences!!
And I get it, bills need to be payed, but you should’ve taken that in consideration BEFORE YOU HAD KIDS!!
Allergies ? I get that. But when it’s a virus or bacteria….KEEP YOUR KID AWAY AND STOP BEING SELFISH…NOT ALL KIDS HAVE GOOD IMMUNE SYSTEMS.
“Sometimes you have to go to work to pay the bills?” I wish I had that kind of luxury, convenience, and flexibility to only worry about that kind of thing “once in a while.”
My son has a number of illnesses, this means he has time off school because as soon as he picks up a virus/infection he is unwell for a number of weeks. We received a fine of £120 each because we kept him off. We managed to get it rescinded but as hard as it is for some, it really affects children when poorly children are sent to school. I have no immune system which then means he comes home and gives it to me and then I’m off work. It’s a viscous cycle.
I think a lot of parents send their kids to school sick also because the schools threaten you if there’s too many days missed. My daughter had the flu and a cold/ear infection (she got from school) in the span of three months and missed about 9 days total. The school sent letters threatening to take me to court even though she had doctors notes. The next few times she got sick I was so unsure of what to do but at this point I don’t care I’ll go to court and plead my case it’s not right to send them unwell and infect others so the state will get their attendance money.
I am having this problem now I’m having to go to court and I do not even have childcare for my baby so he has to come with me to court the schools are ridiculous
As an educator, sick kids are the nature of the beast. Anyone at the school with some sense will tell you this. While I agree sick kids should stay home, it’s not always possible for a variety of reasons – most of which I’m assuming you know nothing about given your tone.
Here’s an idea: it’s cold and flu season. Why don’t you keep your well-child home in a safe unsick bubble and homeschool them?
See, there’s always a solution.
YES
Amen!! This blogger needs to get real. I have four kids..someone in my house is coughing from Oct-April each year. It’s life. To say that she knows exactly which kid got her precious “baby” sick is ridiculous. Germs are everywhere this time of year, some poor kid coughing next to yours does not automatically mean that he infected your sweet little bubble baby with the flu/fever. This is the silliest post I’ve ever seen.
YOU, my dear. You win! Screw this ignorant wench.
That response was immature and unnecessary. My goodness…
Yesss!! Thank you!! I’m a mother of 4 under 7 someone is sick or coughing basically always.. i will send them with a cough etc definitely no fever if i know about it.. but shoot that’s how kids build their immune system!! Its school!! I to have been given letters and such from school and state about my kids missing school. I have 1 kid who is a Strep carrier and is always sick, another 2 yr old who had lung surgery and has a poor immune system. I mean its life. Ugh
Many working parents doing shift work are faced with choosing between sending a sick kid to school and losing their jobs. And for many families, losing a job means homelessness. It’s not a selfish choice, it’s a last resort. Instead of labeling all moms as selfish, let’s support lawmakers who will fight for sick family leave for all workers, so that real change can happen.
This! Yes. I agree. Without paid sick leave, no work means no pay which translates into less food etc. This blogger’s post screams privilege.
Think about the people who WORK at the school, who WORK at home as well and also can’t afford to get sick, either for financial reasons or for health reasons (some really serious like cancer). There’s also medically fragile kids who attend school that can’t afford private school whose parents can’t afford to be out of work longer bc it takes their kids longer to recover than yours! That’s why you should be considerate and keep your sick kids home, EVERYONE has a struggle they deal with-some don’t just show it.
My medically fragile son came home from school sick last Monday.Admitted to the hospital last Thursday.Spent 5 days on oxygen.Home for the rest of the week.So he has missed 2 weeks of school all because someone sent their sick snotty coughing kid to school ?
While I am sorry for your medically fragile son, he should probably be home-schooled because clearly his circumstances make it medically necessary to keep him away from germs — kind of like how other people have circumstances that they find solutions for without blaming everyone else.
Wow. Clearly you’ve never struggled. Because in my school a lot of parents live below the poverty level. Yes. It stinks to have sick kids. But being raised by an incompassionate person like you is worse. Watch out. Your privilege is showing.
Afreakinmen!
That’s why we should quit worrying about keeping up with the Joneses and get back to one-income families. This will: a) drive down day care costs, b) drive down the cost of living, and c) return traditional values back to American families.
Exactly!! You had the kids now take responsibility for them!!!
Your comment screams privilege. There are many families where the mother would like to stay home, but she cannot. Most families who have both parents working NEED both incomes to survive. Are you saying that if you are poor, that you should not have children at all?
I am an economist and would like to advise you to do some research on income inequality, , average incomes and the cost of living for the average person. Also be aware that many many workers are employed on a contract basis/casual basis, where they do not get paid sick leave.
Get over it