Yesterday I had to leave work and go pick Kylie up from school. She had a fever of 101.9 :( I talked to my nanny and she said the boys had just fallen asleep, so instead of having her wake them up to go and get Kylie, I went and go her and worked from home while she relaxed on the couch.
What surprised my nanny, John, and me was that the school said she couldn’t come back to school the next day. Now I know daycares have this rule, but school? She actually still feels a little under the weather, so I wouldn’t have sent her anyway, but so many times with kids they are sick one day and completely fine the next day…and to miss a day of school? A day of learning? It just doesn’t make sense to me…
I guess I just don’t understand when this “rule” stops…I mean, had Kylie not gone to the nurse’s office yesterday, no one would have known she had a fever, and she could go back whenever she wanted to. And think about middle school and high school when you went to the nurse’s office…no one took my temperature…I just laid down and waited for my mom to get me…no one told me I couldn’t come back the next day. Because in high school, I would have loved it if someone said I couldn’t come back because I had a fever.
I just don’t understand the whole fever thing…kids are walking around contagious with all kinds of things all the time (think back to how you got chicken pox!), but heaven forbid a kid has a fever, then they are forbidden from the building for 2+ days. A fever just means your body is fighting the sickness – so if the fever is gone the next day, and the child is better, why on earth can’t they go to school?
I know there are people out there that are super “anti-germs,” and while I can’t really empathize with them (germs are all around us and I truly think we have gone too far, eliminating the “good” germs with all of our antibacterializing***), I can respect their thoughts. But kids are in school, breathing on each other, touching each other, and germs are all around. It’s a fact of life, kids spread germs.
And the funny thing is, I’m the complete opposite of a germ-a-phobe, and my kids are very rarely sick. They usually only get 1 or 2 colds per year, and they are exposed to other kids all the time. So I wonder how much all the hand-washing and hand sanitizer using is really doing for all of those people that are really paranoid about it?
These thoughts are so random, but when you have a child that loves school, it’s hard when she has to be home. Even on the way home yesterday from picking her up (looking miserable and coughing), she started crying because she couldn’t go to school today.
***This is my thought for normal, healthy children. I know that there are kids out there with underlying health conditions that make normal childhood illnesses much worse and more difficult to handle, and my viewpoint for my family would definitely be different if my children fell into this category.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I'm afraid of germs. There. I said it. But, only when it comes to things like shopping carts and stuff like that.
Your germs or the germs of a friend or family member? Eh. It is what it is.
I'm not a huge freak of slathering my kid in Purell. I do make her wash her hands when we come back from the store. I do ask that if you're sick or are getting over something bad that you stay away.
I don't get the fever thing, either. I believe a fever is a good thing--like you said, it's our bodies way of fighting whatever is ailing us. My nephew had a fever and a cough. He couldn't go back to school for FOUR days. That's HUGE when you're 6 1/2, love school and learn something new daily.
Hope Kylie is feeling better today!
The school told you to keep her home due to the H1N1 going around. I know when Miranda had the swine flu , oops, H1N1 she couldn't go back until she had been "fever free" for 3 days. Heck I think by the time the child gets the fever it's too late to prevent the germs anyway, but who am I, right???
I sure hope Kylie is feeling tons better today!!!
My child came home from school saying they learned to cough and sneeze into their elbows with Germie Wormie, and I was totally taken aback. I always used my hands. But I went to the website, and now I get it, hands touch, elbows don't!! Kids can touch up to 300 surfaces in 1/2 an hour, and they hate to wash their hands. This is a simple thing that can make a huge difference.
I asked the doctor about this when my sons had the swine flu. He said the reason is actually a good one. When someone has the flu, the virus can go dormant and then return within 24 hours. If the schools make kids stay home for a full 24 hours, you have less chance of infecting others by accident when you think you are done but you aren't quite done being sick yet. I had no idea. Although I do feel like once they were at school with the illness, they have already exposed everyone anyway but I suppose not everyone thinks that way.
Hope she feels better soon and that no one else in your family catches it!
It is so frustrating when you have to keep a kid home from school for an illness that isn't totally keeping her down. And last I checked, those fevers are usually over the next day and the nagging cough, which really can spread germs as school, last for weeks. That said, trying to prevent the spread of illness is so important. I heard from a health care professional that the best things you can do to avoid the spread of illness are to wash your hands often (water temperature doesn't matter), don't touch your face, especially when you're out (super hard for my 7-year-olds), and open your house up for fresh air regularly. Good luck, and I hope your family stays healthy.
Post a Comment