Kids get sick a lot. Especially toddlers. They are exploring, putting things in their mouths all the time, sometimes they even like to lick things like shopping carts. It's terribly challenging to keep a kid from catching something. But there is something we as parents can do to prevent other kids from getting sick. You know, help another parent avoid a week of sleepless night, Stage 4 clingers, and crusty booger snot stains all over everything in the house. And that's to keep your kid cooped up in the house for the entirety of the sickness, and even however long after they may still be contagious.
And yet it's something so many parents don't do. Because that's damn near impossible. But the worse offense is actually letting your sick child play with other kids. Why, parents, why?!
It's clear we can't keep our kids quarantined for every little illness. I've taken my kids food shopping with me when they had colds. Yes, runny noses and all. There are just times where I have to do something and have no one to watch the kids. So they must come along. Of course if they had Chicken Pox or something extremely worrisome I wouldn't expose them to the outside world ... or rather expose the outside world to them. But for the times they are only a little bit of sick, they have been out and about with me. This is why I am now vigilant about cleaning off the part of the grocery cart where kids sit. I bet you'll be more careful now, too, if you weren't already.
One of the worse offenses a parent can make against another parent and perhaps even more than putting down their parenting style is letting your viral little hotbed of disease play in the sandbox with the other kids, or visit the children's museum or the library or actually set up a playdate and spent time coughing, sneezing, and drooling the germs all over the place virtually guaranteeing the other kids will get sick, too. Might as well just bring the tainted lollipops so we at least get a little serving of candy with your plague.
Put down my parenting style all you want -- I can ignore you. Pass us whatever's going around because you're letting your knowingly sick kid play with others is not something anyone can ignore. Like I mentioned it's basically a sentence of sleepless nights, Stage 4 clingers, and boogers boogers boogers everywhere.
It happens, though. I know. I can't get angry. I'm not. There have been times I was in complete denial my child was sick -- boogers and fever and unexplained tears and all. And that's because of how awful it can be when our little loves are not feeling well. I may have even been guilty of spreading our sick to undeserving playdates. So for the times we have oops! accidentally done such a thing, the only way to make up for the crime is *drum roll* offer to babysit so those parents get a deserved night out. Or make them your best banana bread. Or both.
Have you let your kid play with other kids at the playground or elsewhere even when your child is sick? Does that make a bad mom or dad?
Image via Pink Poppy Photography/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Comments 135
While it can be a bit annoying when you see a kid that is obviously sick playing around other kids, there is really nothing you can do about it. Kid's get sick. You cannot keep them cooped up just to prevent others from catching a cold.
There's a parenting group I attend and the policy specifically states to NOT bring in a child who has a runny nose that has green color in it (which points more specifically to illness and not just an allergy which is usually evidenced by clear runny nose). I have missed a few groups this year or have not taken my younger daughter to the group a few times because she's had the green runny nose.
Worst cold my older daughter got was when a doula I was meeting with brought her son who was definitely showing a case of the sniffles. He kept drinking from my daughter's water glass. Took over a MONTH to get rid of the cough (wasn't constant but picked up more at night and when she went out in the cold). Was not impressed especially considering I was nearly pregnant. And worse, she brought him but left her infant daughter at home with the nanny.
Unfortunately, I have to wonder if the reason for some of this is the cultural attitude that is occuring due to so many jobs pushing for workers to be at work no matter what so many people who are at work are at work sick themselves and therefore think nothing of taking their own kids out when they are under the weather.
They do it for the same reason they bring their sick kids to day care - because they don't give a shit. Their day is more important. Instead of their own inconvenience, they'd rather expose others - that way instead of them just staying home w/their kids, 20 others have to miss work.
We arranged for my son to go to my mother in laws house for a play date with his cousin. I was 9 months pregnant at the time and my husband and I wanted one last night to go out before the baby came. My sister in law didn't tell us until after we picked up my son, that my niece had been running a fever all week and still had it that day. My son ended up getting sick a few days later. He had a fever for almost a week and of course on day 3 of his fever I went into labor. He wasn't able to come up to the hospital and see us and stayed with my parents like we had planned for when the baby came. I felt so bad for him since he was sick and just wanted to be home with us, plus he missed out on getting to come to the hosptial and see us. I was so mad at my sister in law and she tried to tell us that he didn't get sick from her niece, but we all know that he did.