Here it is again, flu season. It always starts in the daycares and schools. Some moms will spend hours or even days trying to figure out who's kid took it there, where it started, who to blame... I personally don't see the point in that. I had a similar conversation when my daughter broke out in spots (on another note, did you know that apparently no one can tell you for sure if it's chicken pox or not?) when her father claims no one at daycare could possibly have it (even though they can have it and show now signs) so where did it come from? Well, let's see where kids get sick:
Daycare. School. Doctors offices. Dentist offices. Grocery stores. Shoe stores. Clothing stores. Restaurants. Play places. Parks. Friends house. Grandparents house. Anyone who they visited at work. Parents who have no symptoms. Then of course if they got it from a parent who just isn't showing symptoms, which is one of the advantages of being bigger, then there's a whole other world they could have brought it from too. I sometimes subscribe to the simplier but much debated "sometimes kids get sick" theory on life.
Either way, she found it and brought it home. It started simply enough, she lost her lunch once and had a headache, then the next day seemed fine. A little sicker the day after...it went on for about five days with a few iffy moments every day followed by lots of play and fun and just feeling fine. There was never any sign of fever, no lost sleep, no increase in sleep, just a slight change in eating habbits and the odd tummy ache that ended in the bathroom. By the 6th day she was definately sick. I'm not sure what made the change, but it was terrible, for about 2 days, then we had a rough 15 minutes and she was again fine for the rest of the day. After this is all over I'm investigating her tolerance for mild products, but one thing at a time...
I noticed in some of the networking groups I'm in that there are a lot of parents who are angry that sick children are going out in the world. I would like to both apologize for my transgressions in this area, and comment that maybe that energy being mad could be used to care for yourself and your child instead. I understand one frustrated sentence or annoyed "she got it at school" but beyond that you're just making yourself feel worse. My daughter had NO signs of being sick for the majaority of the week, but it clearly was there. The fact that I took her place not knowing she was sick does not make me a bad parent nor does it mean I meant to harm your child. I simply didn't know, and these mistakes happen. My duaghter also has allergies so those who say I need to keep her home with a runny nose, I'm sorry, it won't happen. She has a runny nose in the spring, the fall, and like most kids, much of the winter. I've been advised by a doctor the times that she can't go to school and I adhere to those very closely, and apply them to other areas of life as well.
My daughter has come home from daycare with stuff a few times at least. I find it annoying, it's hard to watch her sick, and I wish that I could control these things, but honestly she could just as easily have gotten it off a grocery cart as there. I feel bad that my child may have spread germs and made other kids sick, that's not something I would ever wish on anyone, but what am I to do when I don't know she is sick? Next I'm sure she'll bring home lice between preschool and grade one. It's bound to happen. I know there was a breakout in my elementary school at least a few times and I never ended up with it, but that doesn't mean she won't. If she does I will be disappointed, it will be work to deal with it, and I will feel bad for her. I will also feel bad for the child who had it first, they are kids and don't know, but I'm sure there will be teasing at some stage. I will encourage my child not to tease others as sometimes things happen. I also feel bad for their mom, as it seems that something I see as annoying and inconvenient is creating straight anger and disdain in some of the other moms.
Is that what we learned in school? Boys didn't judge us enough, and socitey doesn't put enough pressure on us? Now we have to bully each other by judging, ignoring, being rude and harsh with other moms. I feel this is a waste of time and makes us all look bad. It seems the world has moved from the "mean girls" phase into "mean moms" and I can't say I'm happy to be around it. I also think this will shape how we raise our children and I don't think that they will have it any easier then we will. I was hoping for more for my daughter, and I have met soooo many supportive and understanding moms, I hope the few bad apples I've come across won't ruin it for everyone.
It's flu season. Wash your hands. Don't share utensils. Dress warm. Get sleep. Good luck! :)
Daycare. School. Doctors offices. Dentist offices. Grocery stores. Shoe stores. Clothing stores. Restaurants. Play places. Parks. Friends house. Grandparents house. Anyone who they visited at work. Parents who have no symptoms. Then of course if they got it from a parent who just isn't showing symptoms, which is one of the advantages of being bigger, then there's a whole other world they could have brought it from too. I sometimes subscribe to the simplier but much debated "sometimes kids get sick" theory on life.
Either way, she found it and brought it home. It started simply enough, she lost her lunch once and had a headache, then the next day seemed fine. A little sicker the day after...it went on for about five days with a few iffy moments every day followed by lots of play and fun and just feeling fine. There was never any sign of fever, no lost sleep, no increase in sleep, just a slight change in eating habbits and the odd tummy ache that ended in the bathroom. By the 6th day she was definately sick. I'm not sure what made the change, but it was terrible, for about 2 days, then we had a rough 15 minutes and she was again fine for the rest of the day. After this is all over I'm investigating her tolerance for mild products, but one thing at a time...
I noticed in some of the networking groups I'm in that there are a lot of parents who are angry that sick children are going out in the world. I would like to both apologize for my transgressions in this area, and comment that maybe that energy being mad could be used to care for yourself and your child instead. I understand one frustrated sentence or annoyed "she got it at school" but beyond that you're just making yourself feel worse. My daughter had NO signs of being sick for the majaority of the week, but it clearly was there. The fact that I took her place not knowing she was sick does not make me a bad parent nor does it mean I meant to harm your child. I simply didn't know, and these mistakes happen. My duaghter also has allergies so those who say I need to keep her home with a runny nose, I'm sorry, it won't happen. She has a runny nose in the spring, the fall, and like most kids, much of the winter. I've been advised by a doctor the times that she can't go to school and I adhere to those very closely, and apply them to other areas of life as well.
My daughter has come home from daycare with stuff a few times at least. I find it annoying, it's hard to watch her sick, and I wish that I could control these things, but honestly she could just as easily have gotten it off a grocery cart as there. I feel bad that my child may have spread germs and made other kids sick, that's not something I would ever wish on anyone, but what am I to do when I don't know she is sick? Next I'm sure she'll bring home lice between preschool and grade one. It's bound to happen. I know there was a breakout in my elementary school at least a few times and I never ended up with it, but that doesn't mean she won't. If she does I will be disappointed, it will be work to deal with it, and I will feel bad for her. I will also feel bad for the child who had it first, they are kids and don't know, but I'm sure there will be teasing at some stage. I will encourage my child not to tease others as sometimes things happen. I also feel bad for their mom, as it seems that something I see as annoying and inconvenient is creating straight anger and disdain in some of the other moms.
Is that what we learned in school? Boys didn't judge us enough, and socitey doesn't put enough pressure on us? Now we have to bully each other by judging, ignoring, being rude and harsh with other moms. I feel this is a waste of time and makes us all look bad. It seems the world has moved from the "mean girls" phase into "mean moms" and I can't say I'm happy to be around it. I also think this will shape how we raise our children and I don't think that they will have it any easier then we will. I was hoping for more for my daughter, and I have met soooo many supportive and understanding moms, I hope the few bad apples I've come across won't ruin it for everyone.
It's flu season. Wash your hands. Don't share utensils. Dress warm. Get sleep. Good luck! :)