Friday, February 09, 2007

That's Why We Have Rules, People!

I work in a Mother's Day Out. It has it's own challenges - one of which is Sick Day. Our program has a guideline that children must be fever-free for 24 hours before coming to school. If the child has thrown-up, the child must go 24 hours before returning to school.

These guidelines are for the well-being of the other children and I try to follow them. These are the guidelines I use when sending my child to elementary school, too. It's also so the teachers won't become infected and take it home to their own children.

Why do so many parents ignore these guidelines? Why do so many parents think their child doesn't have to follow these rules? Why do so many kids cough their lungs out all over me?

I've been blessed to not work or work part-time ever since my kids were born. So, I don't know the struggle of the working mom (or dad) that has to leave work to take care of their sick child. It's difficult I'm sure but no teacher wants to be sick, infect their own child (because of yours,) or see every other child in their room be infected. When a child is coughing like crazy in a small, enclosed space, all that teacher (or maybe just me) can see is the germs flying out into the air.

I don't want to condemn working parents - just parents who drop their children off at school (or day care or the babysitter) sick. Don't make us the bad guy who has to diagnose your child.

Whew! That's a load off my chest - at least I wasn't coughing.

*******************************************
I finished The Historian. I really liked the book and vampire books usually are too scary for me. My mom asked me if that was the book I couldn't read at night because it was too scary - yes, it was. The story reached a point that I didn't feel that Dracula would pop out at any time and I was able to read it at night. Very engrossing. Very hard to put down.
Read it if you dare.....

5 comments:

Anne said...

Maybe I'm too harsh, but I think the same rule should apply to Bible class as well. I don't send my sick children in to infect everyone else. I hope that other parents will do the same...

I'm all for sharing, but germs are an exception to the rule!

Anonymous said...

Amen! =) Couldn't have said it better myself.

Holly said...

Somehow when need every parent at school and church to read this blog!

Anonymous said...

Tony and I both teach. We missed a total of 5 days from school(him 2 and me 3) last week staying home with our sick children. . .who must be fever free for 24 hrs.

Fever free means 100.4 or lower ****WITHOUT fever reducing meds***. I normally don't send mine to school if they have 99.9, 'cause they are just one step away from being all out ill. We keep them home from church by the same guidelines. . .

I just LOVE it when I hear from a child I teach, "I threw up this morning, but mom thought I'd be okay." Do they NOT know that you are going to call them within an hour or two to come and get their child?

What a REALLY hate is when I have a teacher's child, and THEY are coming to school sick. Not polite.

SHEESH.

AbbieCRAZY said...

Anna - I'm still shocked at the babysitting story I heard on Thurs. Who are these people?!

Roxanne - you were the one person I was afraid of hurting. I know yall had sick kids this week but I didn't know one of you was out for the entire week. Good for you both!

It's a matter of taking responibilty for your own child OVER your job. That ain't easy.