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Schools and germs go hand in hand. Every child has to go through more than their fair share of the sickies when they first start school. They have to work their way through all the germs to help build up their little immune system. Not to mention kids pass germs around much more easily than grown ups thanks to all the toy sharing, a tendency to forget to cover their mouth and nose when they sneeze or cough, and the grossest thing of all, letting their nose run down their face (ewww!). Every parent knows their kids is going to get sick during the school year, especially during the cold and flu season. Keeping your child home from school when they are sick is a common courtesy to other families to help stop the spread of germs. But, where is the line. When is a child sick enough to stay home and when is it okay to send you child to school.
Maya has a little boy in her preschool class who has a weakened immune system and is much more susceptible to getting sick and when he does get sick it can quickly escalate into a dangerous illness. Now that we are right smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season the school has reminded us that it is important (especially in our classroom) to keep your child home from school if they are sick to help stop the spread of germs. Some symptoms are obvious triggers to keep a child at home, like a fever or vomiting, but what other symptoms should keep a child at home and when is it okay to send them back? Coughs associated with colds can sometimes stick around for weeks after all the other symptoms are gone. Some children are fine when they have a cold other than being a little stuffed up and maybe a little extra sneezy but are otherwise full of energy and fine to go about their day. It is tough to find that fine line.
Our school has a pretty realistic well child policy and I feel comfortable that the school and the other parents are doing their part. Each school is going to have their own policies and rules regarding when a child should stay home or what symptoms will get them sent home from school. You should always check with your child’s school regarding their policy and, of course, use your own common sense.
Obviously, with an immune compromised child in our class we parents are going to need to be a little extra diligent and considerate when we are making the decision on whether to keep our child at home. So far (knock on wood) Maya hasn’t been sick much this school year, and the times she has been sick have been during the days when she doesn’t have school. But, when that time comes when I have to keep her home I know she is not going to be happy about missing school unless she is feeling really sick. That will be the tough part, explaining to her why she needs to stay home even if she isn’t feeling all that crappy.
When do you keep your child home from school? What symptoms are triggers for keeping them at home and when do you feel okay sending them back?
Dear Maya,
Happy Birthday baby girl! You are 4 years old today. 4 YEARS OLD! How did that happen? How did you go, in what feels like overnight, from this squirmy, tiny little baby who made me a Mom for the very first time, to this opinionated, intelligent, full of life 4 year old?
You have changed so much in the past year. You have really grown up a lot this year. When you turned 3 you still seemed like a little little girl, you still seemed so young. I can’t say that about you today. You are so much more grown up, so much older and wiser. You are “big girl” as you like to remind us and I can glimpse the passionate, intelligent woman you will one day become.
You did a lot in this year since you turned three.
We traveled to Australia for 3 months. You LOVED it there and did a lot of growing up while we were down under.
You came home from Australia and became a big sister. You truly love this new role of yours and adore your baby sister. I love watching the two of you interact and try to imagine the bond you will have when you grow up.
And, maybe the biggest thing of all, you started school. August 18th found you walking through the threshold of your first little classroom and you have loved every moment you’ve spent in school so far. Preschool has done so much to bring you out of your shell and you have really blossomed.
All of these changes and adventures this year have changed you and impacted you in different and unique ways. They have helped mold the girl you are today on your 4th birthday.
Maya, at 4 years old, you are a barrel of laughs constantly trying to entertain us. You love being the center of attention, especially when people are laughing at your antics or clapping for your little “performances”. You are beautiful and passionate. You are full of energy and life, you are on the go from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed at night. You are so in tune with music and movement and spend much of your day singing and dancing. You are intelligent and curious. You are opinionated and like to push my buttons (sometimes it makes me scared of what the teenage years will be like). You are 100% girl and love to live in a fairy tale world filled with princesses, ponies and everything pink. You are emotional and sweet (when you want to be 
). You are you and we love every bit of you, even when you are driving us crazy.
There is so much you love in life. You love reading and always try to get an extra book read to you at bedtime even though we already read 3 every night. You love coloring and creating art projects. Some days you’ll sit for hours and just color and color. You’ve started writing letters too and can write your own name. You are so imaginative and spend many hours each day creating little worlds of adventure for your princess dolls, your my little ponies and your strawberry shortcake dolls. You love to include Mommy and Daddy in your play and even sometimes the cats, especially when it comes to dress up play. You love talking to, playing with, reading to and laughing with your baby sister. You love music and dancing.
I love you sweet Maya. I love that I get to have you in my life and I get the privilege of being your Mom. Happy Birthday, I hope it was everything you dreamed it would be. I love you to pieces baby girl.
In a couple of weeks Maya will be going on her very first field trip. Her little preschool class is taking a trip to the pumpkin patch. They get to ride on a bus and everything!
At her school the teacher to child ratio is great. There are 9 kids in her class and 3 teachers. Two of the classes are pairing up for the trip so there will be 18 kids and 6 teachers plus one of the assistant principals is tagging along and the OT that works with one of the kids in Maya’s class. So, given that so many adults will be there they didn’t ask for parent volunteers to be extra eyes. Parents are, however, invited to tag along if they want.
I want to, I would love to be part of this little experience. But. Ya, there’s a but. But, I’m worried that my being there will mean that Maya’s experience isn’t as a great as it could be. You see, Maya is very shy. When we had our parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago it was one of the topics we discussed. I wasn’t surprised that her teacher had noticed it, since we witness it every time we are out with friends, or Maya encounters strangers and even acquaintances while we are out and about. She is super shy around other people and it takes time for her to warm up and talk to people. Her teacher has mentioned that she is starting to see her come out of her shell, she is starting to communicate with her friends and the teachers more and more. So, I’m worried that my being there with her on the field trip will limit her, that she will use me as a shield and won’t be as open, as talkative, as adventurous.
As much as I want to go, to be part of this little adventure with her, I’m leaning towards sitting this one out. I haven’t made a firm decision yet, but I want her to have the best first field trip experience possible and if that means I have to sit this one out than that is what I will do.
Any of you other mommas of shy kiddos had a similar experience? Any advice for me?
Maya has always been a relatively healthy child. In her first year of life she only had one cold and that was when she was about 7 weeks old and she got it while we were visiting family over Christmas. Throughout her almost 4 years of life she has had mostly just colds. Last year she did have a mild case of croup, but no medication was needed and it was gone in a day or two. No flu, no ear infections, no antibiotics. It has been smooth sailing in that department so far.
I knew that she would like be sick more often this year now that she has started school. We all know that germs love to travel around the school yard and make their rounds to all the kid’s homes. Well, here we are, just over a month into the school year and we’v already had our first battle with the school cooties.
A couple of weeks ago Maya had her flu vaccine. At the advice of her doctor I opted for the nasal mist versus the shot. Her doctor warned me that she would likely have an extra stuffy, runny nose for a couple of days (I say extra because Maya has allergies and pretty much always has a stuffy, runny nose). So, when her nose was stuffy all last weekend I didn’t think anything of it. When it didn’t go away and a cough arrived I figured she was coming down with a cold. No biggie, we’ve dealt with colds before.
Then Thursday night rolled around, well actually more like the wee hours of Friday morning. Maya woke up crying and when I went into her room I found her running a fever and complaining that her ear hurt. A trip to the doctor later that morning confirmed what I already knew, she had her first ear infection. A prescription for a round of antibiotics and we were on our way home to suffer through the weekend with an extremely crabby Maya.
She has made it almost 4 years with not a single ear infection, not a single round of antibiotics and nothing more than a cold under her belt. One month into her first year of school and now she has had her first ear infection and she is part way through her first round of antibiotics. This school year could get interesting. My fingers are crossed that we get a reprieve from the school cooties for a bit.
Maya has started calling me “Mom”. Just mom, not mama or mommy, just mom. I don’t think I’m ready to be just “mom”. But, if there is one thing I’ve learned in my almost 4 years as a parent it’s that it isn’t about what I’m ready for, it’s all about what she is ready for.
When did she become a full blown kid?
I remember those early days of talking when I couldn’t wait for Maya to say “mama”, and then for her to say it and know she was referring to me. It was music to my ears. Then she made the transition to using “mommy” and I loved it, it made me feel so special to have this sweet little girl calling me “mommy”.
This transition to “mom” feels different. It feels like a reminder that she isn’t a baby or a toddler anymore, she is a kid. The other morning she came in the bathroom while I was having a shower and said “Hey, Mom, where’s Dad?” It was like a completely different child had walked into the bathroom. I was so used to having her say “Mommy, where is dada?” that I was taken aback for a moment. Who dropped this 13 year old off at my house and what did they do with my not quite 4 year old!
I think it is going to take a little getting used to, this new title of mine. In the meantime I’ll relish in those moments when “mommy” or “mama” still slip back into her vocabulary because I’m not ready to me just “mom” quite yet.