Kids' Day Off - Sick Day?

[Peacock]

I feel like I was duped. Maybe I was, maybe not...it's so hard to say.

First, the 12 year old came home Mon. afternoon claiming she was "pale." I was already skeptical, thinking that "pale" is hardly a diagnosis. Hello? It's December, she's a champagne blonde, of course she is pale. She wasn't sick to her stomach, wasn't stuffy-headed, just felt "bad" and was "pale." To her credit, she did appear to have a temperature of about one degree. So I let her skip Girl Scouts, sent her to bed early, and let her stay home from school Tues. because as far as I know you're supposed to keep them home one day after they show a fever, for contagion's sake.

Of course, when she woke up this morning, she was fine. Spent the day watching TV, playing on the computer, and doing whatever else 12 year olds do.

Now, Tues. morning, the 10 year old said he felt like throwing up. Hm. I told him that maybe he ought to eat some breakfast, and made him a bagel with some butter on it. He took one bite, and reluctantly got on the school bus. about 20 minutes later, the school called. The nurse said "Your son has been gagging and retching. Come pick him up." OK, fine. I went there, and got there at the same time as his buddy Matt's mom. Coincidentally, my son and Matt sit next to each other on the bus and are in the same class. On their way out, Matt came over to my son and whispered something about it being too early to do the day's homework, ha ha. Sheesh, they're oh so sick. He moaned and groaned all the way home. Went to the bathroom several times to hack and cough and spit, but never actually puked. About noon, he claimed the saltine crackers I made him eat had cured him. Round about 3 p.m. the boy ate the full lunch I'd packed for him that morning and then demanded the Jello I'd made earlier for his upset tummy. Uh-huh. At 6 p.m. he ate the pork roast I made for dinner. Uh-huh. Oh, so sick. That's the fastest acting tummy bug I've ever seen.

I feel like I've been played. What do you think?

[SageLady]

I think you've been played by your son. LOL Your DD may have been fighting a virus tho.

[Use Less]

This is a big stress-up time for kids. The whole deal about holidays, the novelty of the new school year behind,the workload increased, lack of light, air and romping time outside for many/most. Your daughter is an age where both physical changes and the whole social climate are just wearing. I'd be inclined to cut them both a little slack, but her more than him. Just make it really, really clear there won't be ANY more "mental health days". I'd suggest if they think they are sick enough to stay home from school, that they have to do the WHOLE DAY and EVENING resting & recuperating. SO skip the TV, computer, handheld games, etc. (bad for their eyes , put them on chicken broth, crackers, toast, tea & oatmeal, and make them stay in bed with a book. Boredom & inactivity will help make the idea of repeats repellent. Sue

When my children were at home they all tried that game..once

Rule was..if you're too ill to go to school, then it's bed for you and as the previous poster said, no TV, nothing but "gruel" and crackers..LOL..you can read or sleep, that's about it..if a miracle cure arrives, you're still stuck in bed with books until morning..

[Melissa]

I have always allowed my kids one day per nine weeks to stay home for whatever reason they wanted. I figured everyone needs a day off once in a while!

[Sonshine]

Just a thought on your son, you don't have to actually vomit to feel sick to your stomach. I had a nervous stomach as a child that developed into ulcers as I got older. I never ran a fever with it, never vomitted, just felt nauseous. (sp) My Mom thought I was faking it and wouldn't let me rest. So, he may have actually felt bad. I agree with Melissa about the one day every 9 weeks. I homeschool and actually take off the whole month of December. Then again, I school year round, so the month of December is more than made up for. So much going on this month.

[Hears The Water]

We homeschool too. It only took a couple of times for each child to try the "fake illness" card for them to be cured. It is just like BostonLeslie said, no food, no t.v., no phone or computer. They get to go to bed and can have books. They can only eat soup and water. Because if they really were sick this is all that they would do anyway.

Now my youngerst one she will NOT tell us if she is sick because she doesn't want to miss out on what is going on around her, and I have taken her places when she really had no buisness going out and "spreading the love". So the plan can backfire too.
God bless you and yours
Deb

[Nancy]

Yep, it happens. I even remember when I did that a couple times as a kid. It got boring at home after a day of confinement and I was well. A miracle! Mom just let it go. There were 6 of us and when one got the flu we all got the flu within a day or two. She knew when it was real or not but bless her heart she let us get it out of our system. I wasn't as bright as your son though and I never faked the throwing up end of it. You have got to give him credit for that.

[CountryWannabe]

My kids were almost never sick. When they tried to fake it they got some of Mom's Special Medicine - a foul tasting but harmless herb concoction - then to bed with a hot water bottle. Chicken broth was the only sustenance and they were not allowed ANY form of entertainment, not even a book. "Got to rest to get your strength back,y'know" They were always bright eyed and bushy tailed within a few hours. I need to market that stuff. Could make me a fortune.

[L.A.]

Mine have done it and then felt quilty. Now if they say they are sick, they are really hurting.

[Kmac15]

I worked with a nurse who's daughter went through a phase of being to tired to do school work but had the energy to go to dance class.
Found out she had Mono.

Just a little mom guilt to throw in there LOL

[AlyCarm]

I once didn't want to go to school so I ate my toast in the morning and then ran for the bath room. I very carefully "puked" it up, out of my cheeks making sure it wasn't globbed together so it looked authentic. Then "shakily" went and told my mom saying "I didn't flush so you can still see it". LOL She gave me "the look" and let me stay home. I felt so guilty I cleaned the house. (I was 13 at the time and mom worked days, dad was on nightshift so sleeping and I was "alone")
LOL thanks for this memory resurfacing, I had forgotten til I read this post

[tiffnzacsmom]

I always went to school when sick, it was better than being home. Eventually the school told both of my parents the next time I was in school ill she was notifying CYS they had been sending me to class with pneumonia.

[TC]

****Warning-----gross!!! ****


One of my boys is famous for the "I just threw up" or " I have diarrhea" and he always just "flushed it, mama" moments before catching the bus.

One morning about 10 minutes before the bus ran, he come in to the kitchen and said, " I have diarrhea". I asked "Do you feel like you will have more, Baby Honey?" "Oh yes, mama, I just feel awful....I'm sure I could never even finish a class before having to go"

So I grabbed his hand and started walking toward the bathroom...I said "okay then, I'll wait out here and you go "diarrhea" but don't flush it!"

He looked all funny "what???"

"You heard me, go to the bathroom and don't flush it."

"But...but..but............."

Like I thought....have a nice day at school!


(you can't fake diarrhea if someone is checking)

[Macybaby]

When I was little, I always felt like Momma "punished" us for being sick. You had to eat yukky food and stay in bed and not go out and play in the afternoon when everone else got home from school even if you did feel better . . .

But I also remember being wrapped in warm blankets with a nice warm broth and watching cartoons when I was really sick.

So I guess my Mom knew the difference. She had 11 kids so I bet she learned all the tricks before us younger ones got old enough to think of them LOL!!

I'm sure my own kids have faked it a time or two, and I never worried about it unless there seemed to be a pattern. Most of the time, it was obvious they were sick, so it's only those few times that you kind of wondered . . . But all social activity was curtailed regaurdless, don't want to take the chance of infecting a friend, right?

Cathy

[Peacock]

When I was a kid, sometimes I would have days when I just felt awful for no apparent reason. Splitting headache, tired, nauseous.

Usually I'd tough it out, but occasionally I would ask to come home. It was hard for me to come home from school because both my parents worked, my grandma was there at home but didn't drive, and they wouldn't let me walk. The principal drove me home, so you know if I needed that, I was really sick.

After a few days like this - not all together, but scattered over a couple of months - and a couple trips to the doctor to be tested for all kinds of things, we found out I was just tired. I didn't sleep well and apparently grade-school children don't function well on 5 hours a night, for days at a time. The doctor prescribed sleep medication, which only kinda-sorta worked, but eventually I either grew out of it or adapted. Still had those days but fewer.

Still have those days, in fact.

But now, whenever one of my kids is ill, that's the first thing I think of -- are they getting enough sleep?

I think that was part of my daughter's problem. But she's not bad about it; she knows when she's tired and doesn't fight it.

My son, OTOH? He would never admit he was tired, even if he had to prop his eyelids up with toothpicks.

[countrysunshine]

If my kids didn't miss more than two days of school in high school they didn't have to take finals. They always "saved" their days. They used one to go to Cross Country NCAA Nationals in the fall and one to fish in the spring.

They were so funny though. They would ask, "Can I cut for half a day to fish?" I would say, "when are you going to be there?" Oh, I have to be there by 4th hour because I am NOT missing chemistry( or geometry, etc..).

If one of them stayed home they were dieing!