How do parents feel about everyday colds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener has her second cold since school started. She had one early September. I kept her home for a day and then sent her to school with a little cough. A month later, she has another cold. I tested her for Covid both times. I considered keeping her home but I sent her to school. I also have two older kids and they basically had a cold on/off all winter when they were in preschool and early elementary.

We are invited to a play date next week at a home and I also invited someone over for a play date but have not yet confirmed since my daughter has a cold.

Would you cancel if other child had a cold?

The kids are all in the same class so they already see one another at school.

You’re so worried about a playdate, yet you send your kid to school like that every single day. I can tell you what these kids do all day - cough all over other kids and teachers, pick their noses constantly and wipe it on everything around them, sniffle and sniffle without stopping, wipe their noses with hands every minute. Once in a while they get a tissue when a teacher prompts them. So why are you worried about your little play date if you don’t mind sending your kid to school like this?

Guessing f-ing what I am a traveler from 2020 (not that poster) and from 2013 and from 2022 and you’re all trash for sending snotty disgusting kids to school. I have a preschooler and older and they don’t go to school with encrusted disgusting germ ridden waterfalls of snot. Thanks for continually keeping my kid out with your disgusting germs.

Trash, or people who don't have round-the-clock nannies or stay-at-home incomes?

I don't say this often but check your privilege

DP, but I’d have to say check your privilege to the person who feels entitled to send their kids out in public sick because of your personal childcare setup, or lack thereof. SMH.

Amen. Let's sacrifice the health of several other families because you can't figure out child care for yours.

Schools have rules for a reason, and colds are allowed. Stay mad.

No they aren't. Crummy lazy parents like you just don't care.

What school do your kids attend? Fever free for 24 hours has been the rule everywhere. My kids have already had 3 colds and strep between the 2 of them this year. You know how many times I, the adult, got sick from them? Zero. Because I built a functioning immune system by catching colds as a child. The people who want their kids in a bubble are not doing them any favors.

Lucky you. I catch every cold my kids bring home. Something is wrong if they have had 3 colds and strep and its been a month. But, hey, guess they deserve it if they are with people like you who are too selfish to keep their kids home. Not everyone gets immunity from your kids colds. I get weeks of misery from a cold. Some people have great immune systems, others don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener has her second cold since school started. She had one early September. I kept her home for a day and then sent her to school with a little cough. A month later, she has another cold. I tested her for Covid both times. I considered keeping her home but I sent her to school. I also have two older kids and they basically had a cold on/off all winter when they were in preschool and early elementary.

We are invited to a play date next week at a home and I also invited someone over for a play date but have not yet confirmed since my daughter has a cold.

Would you cancel if other child had a cold?

The kids are all in the same class so they already see one another at school.

You’re so worried about a playdate, yet you send your kid to school like that every single day. I can tell you what these kids do all day - cough all over other kids and teachers, pick their noses constantly and wipe it on everything around them, sniffle and sniffle without stopping, wipe their noses with hands every minute. Once in a while they get a tissue when a teacher prompts them. So why are you worried about your little play date if you don’t mind sending your kid to school like this?

Part of life is keeping your kids home when they are sick.

Guessing f-ing what I am a traveler from 2020 (not that poster) and from 2013 and from 2022 and you’re all trash for sending snotty disgusting kids to school. I have a preschooler and older and they don’t go to school with encrusted disgusting germ ridden waterfalls of snot. Thanks for continually keeping my kid out with your disgusting germs.

Trash, or people who don't have round-the-clock nannies or stay-at-home incomes?

I don't say this often but check your privilege

DP, but I’d have to say check your privilege to the person who feels entitled to send their kids out in public sick because of your personal childcare setup, or lack thereof. SMH.

Amen. Let's sacrifice the health of several other families because you can't figure out child care for yours.

Schools have rules for a reason, and colds are allowed. Stay mad.

No they aren't. Crummy lazy parents like you just don't care.

I work in the clinic at our public ES and they absolutely are allowed and encouraged to attend school with minor cold symptoms. We call parents for fevers and stomach issues and that’s it.

All of you "don't send your kids to school unless they are 100% symptom free" people don't understand what the long-term effects would be if your logic applied to all kids. Absenteeism would soar through the roof, kids would miss out on crucial learning, and this would in fact impact your own perfect child's experience because the teacher would need to go slower to catch kids up. I know you're going to respond to me "oh parents should continue teaching their kids at home so they don't fall behind." That only will happen if there is a SAH parent - one who doesn't have other kids at home to watch, at that - or a parent with an extremely flexible job. That isn't the norm at all. I know COVID has traumatized us all a bit but colds and such are part of life, deal with it.

+1. Fwiw, my mom was a SAHM and sent us mildly ill. School is important and colds are part of life.

NP. Truly.

And colds linger, often for literally weeks. Obviously, I'm not keeping my kids home for a full week, or multiple weeks, because they have a mild runny nose and a mild intermittent irritation cough. Nor is that their schools' policy.

It really is just part of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener has her second cold since school started. She had one early September. I kept her home for a day and then sent her to school with a little cough. A month later, she has another cold. I tested her for Covid both times. I considered keeping her home but I sent her to school. I also have two older kids and they basically had a cold on/off all winter when they were in preschool and early elementary.

We are invited to a play date next week at a home and I also invited someone over for a play date but have not yet confirmed since my daughter has a cold.

Would you cancel if other child had a cold?

The kids are all in the same class so they already see one another at school.

You’re so worried about a playdate, yet you send your kid to school like that every single day. I can tell you what these kids do all day - cough all over other kids and teachers, pick their noses constantly and wipe it on everything around them, sniffle and sniffle without stopping, wipe their noses with hands every minute. Once in a while they get a tissue when a teacher prompts them. So why are you worried about your little play date if you don’t mind sending your kid to school like this?

Guessing f-ing what I am a traveler from 2020 (not that poster) and from 2013 and from 2022 and you’re all trash for sending snotty disgusting kids to school. I have a preschooler and older and they don’t go to school with encrusted disgusting germ ridden waterfalls of snot. Thanks for continually keeping my kid out with your disgusting germs.

Trash, or people who don't have round-the-clock nannies or stay-at-home incomes?

I don't say this often but check your privilege

DP, but I’d have to say check your privilege to the person who feels entitled to send their kids out in public sick because of your personal childcare setup, or lack thereof. SMH.

Amen. Let's sacrifice the health of several other families because you can't figure out child care for yours.

Schools have rules for a reason, and colds are allowed. Stay mad.

No they aren't. Crummy lazy parents like you just don't care.

What school do your kids attend? Fever free for 24 hours has been the rule everywhere. My kids have already had 3 colds and strep between the 2 of them this year. You know how many times I, the adult, got sick from them? Zero. Because I built a functioning immune system by catching colds as a child. The people who want their kids in a bubble are not doing them any favors.

Please continue to pat yourself on the back for strategically catching colds as a kid so that one day you wouldn't get them back from your own kids. Also, congratulations for not having a diseases or disorders that might make you immune deficient. So clever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with a PP about school being important and play dates being less so. It’s not reasonable for parents to keep kids home for the entire length of symptoms (although hopefully to do during the fever/super congested phase).

That said, I’d like to be given the option. If it’s just lingering symptoms of day 5 of a cold, we probably wouldn’t reschedule or would suggest outdoors. New symptoms that may not have peaked yet? Ehh, I’d rather postpone and make sure it isn’t something that is more than a mild cold. Also we may be more cautious if something like a vacation or grandparent visit is scheduled soon. Sure there is some exposure at school, but a 1:1 indoor playdate is a more immediate exposure than I’m willing to deal with in some cases.

Also, if your kid has recently puked, please postpone. I had a friend bring her kids over to play and the oldest looked fatigued/not so great. She then mentioned he had been puking that morning but “hadn’t in a few hours.” Ummm what??? I was super annoyed. By some miracle we escaped unfazed but I spent the whole afternoon sanitizing all the toys they played with.

Omg we have the same friend. It's always partway through the visit that she mentions something like being so happy to get out of the house after son was puking all morning. Wtf?!

Always always disclose ahead of time. It shows basic respect and allows me to say "no problem, come on over" or "sorry, I have to keynote a conference in 3 days and can't risk getting sick" or "I'm caregiving for my friend on chemo on the weekend so I need to take precautions to stay well."

[Anonymous]

You should definitely let them know, and let them make the decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener has her second cold since school started. She had one early September. I kept her home for a day and then sent her to school with a little cough. A month later, she has another cold. I tested her for Covid both times. I considered keeping her home but I sent her to school. I also have two older kids and they basically had a cold on/off all winter when they were in preschool and early elementary.

We are invited to a play date next week at a home and I also invited someone over for a play date but have not yet confirmed since my daughter has a cold.

Would you cancel if other child had a cold?

The kids are all in the same class so they already see one another at school.

You’re so worried about a playdate, yet you send your kid to school like that every single day. I can tell you what these kids do all day - cough all over other kids and teachers, pick their noses constantly and wipe it on everything around them, sniffle and sniffle without stopping, wipe their noses with hands every minute. Once in a while they get a tissue when a teacher prompts them. So why are you worried about your little play date if you don’t mind sending your kid to school like this?

Guessing f-ing what I am a traveler from 2020 (not that poster) and from 2013 and from 2022 and you’re all trash for sending snotty disgusting kids to school. I have a preschooler and older and they don’t go to school with encrusted disgusting germ ridden waterfalls of snot. Thanks for continually keeping my kid out with your disgusting germs.

Trash, or people who don't have round-the-clock nannies or stay-at-home incomes?

I don't say this often but check your privilege

DP, but I’d have to say check your privilege to the person who feels entitled to send their kids out in public sick because of your personal childcare setup, or lack thereof. SMH.

Amen. Let's sacrifice the health of several other families because you can't figure out child care for yours.

Schools have rules for a reason, and colds are allowed. Stay mad.

No they aren't. Crummy lazy parents like you just don't care.

What school do your kids attend? Fever free for 24 hours has been the rule everywhere. My kids have already had 3 colds and strep between the 2 of them this year. You know how many times I, the adult, got sick from them? Zero. Because I built a functioning immune system by catching colds as a child. The people who want their kids in a bubble are not doing them any favors.

Lucky you. I catch every cold my kids bring home. Something is wrong if they have had 3 colds and strep and its been a month. But, hey, guess they deserve it if they are with people like you who are too selfish to keep their kids home. Not everyone gets immunity from your kids colds. I get weeks of misery from a cold. Some people have great immune systems, others don't.

I asked my doctor why I not only seem to get every cold that my kid brings home, I get a worse case. She said it's actually my immune system having a *strong* reaction to pathogens, not a sign that it was too weak. I lived on a freaking farm growing up, so plenty of germ exposure there! And I don't stress about germs or dirt and I take public transportation every day. Definitely not living in a bubble.

And you don't really get immunity from colds. There are many viruses that cause "the common cold," so at best, you develop immunity to one of those viruses each time, for the rest of the season. But that leaves the other bajillion cold and respiratory viruses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with a PP about school being important and play dates being less so. It’s not reasonable for parents to keep kids home for the entire length of symptoms (although hopefully to do during the fever/super congested phase).

That said, I’d like to be given the option. If it’s just lingering symptoms of day 5 of a cold, we probably wouldn’t reschedule or would suggest outdoors. New symptoms that may not have peaked yet? Ehh, I’d rather postpone and make sure it isn’t something that is more than a mild cold. Also we may be more cautious if something like a vacation or grandparent visit is scheduled soon. Sure there is some exposure at school, but a 1:1 indoor playdate is a more immediate exposure than I’m willing to deal with in some cases.

Also, if your kid has recently puked, please postpone. I had a friend bring her kids over to play and the oldest looked fatigued/not so great. She then mentioned he had been puking that morning but “hadn’t in a few hours.” Ummm what??? I was super annoyed. By some miracle we escaped unfazed but I spent the whole afternoon sanitizing all the toys they played with.

Omg we have the same friend. It's always partway through the visit that she mentions something like being so happy to get out of the house after son was puking all morning. Wtf?!

Always always disclose ahead of time. It shows basic respect and allows me to say "no problem, come on over" or "sorry, I have to keynote a conference in 3 days and can't risk getting sick" or "I'm caregiving for my friend on chemo on the weekend so I need to take precautions to stay well."

This. If you tell the other parent, they can evaluate and decide what they are comfortable with given their own circumstances. Basic respect.

[Anonymous]

I keep kids home from school if they have a fever or diarrhea, are vomiting, or can't talk to me coherently. Anything else, and they go to school with a note sent to the teacher and nurse about symptoms and duration.

Playdates, activities, birthday parties, etc are all optional. If they're miserable enough, I would reschedule their birthday party. Everything else is a debatable, based on the other adult's comfort level.