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It is an agonizing decision to send a child to school while he moans under the blankets. Even more difficult ma be taking a day off of work, using up precious vacation days, or worse yet, not getting paid for the time off.
Here are a few rules of thumb for keeping junior home, or pushing him to school.
Call the Doctor
Any earache should be taken care of by a doctor. If your child has pink eye (conjunctivitis) a doctor needs to determine if an antibiotic is needed. All types of pink eye are highly contagious. Also, any skin rash should be seen by a doctor, as this could be one of several infectious diseases.
Stay Home
A child with a bad cough should be kept home until the cough improves. Then it's back to class. No need to wait for the cough to disappear entirely - that could take a week or longer and your child will miss too much curriculum.
If your child has diarrhea or vomiting, keep him home for 24 hours after the last episode.
School Bound
If your child does not have a fever (less that 100 F) send him to school. A mild cough, sore throat, or runny nose is also okay. Just provide a note to the school office allowing cough drops and a request for permission to get drinks of water frequently. Don't forget to supply a little pack of tissues that can be easily stashed in a coat or pants pocket.
If the only symptom is a mild stomachache, send him along. It may be constipation or a case of nerves, or a case of unfinished homework! If a child frequently claims to be 'sick' but is fine on weekends, that's a sign of another issue - there may be trouble at school. Have a heart-to-heart talk about school, classmates and friends. If this reveals no insight, talk to his teacher about his behavior in class, and on the playground. For more information on health issues, go to http://www.webmd.com
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