This will sound horrible, but I'd make him tough it out.

My nephew has horrible fall allergies and instead of recess he got to go lie down in the nurse's office for a nap. The nurse also would evaluate him before PE and either allow him to participate or make him sit out.

Now that he's in middle school, it's been a rude awakening. His PE teacher doesn't care that he can't breathe and actually has a minimum amount of days you must participate to get a good grade. There's no more nap periods when he's not been able to sleep the night before and staying home just makes things worse because he then has double the amount of work to do and some of his teachers aren't understanding at all.

Nephew missed a math test and the teacher made the retest extremely hard to discourage him and others from missing school on test days.

Maybe his meds need to be changed? Does he use a nose spray?
I would ask the teacher if he could wash his hands and face (or at least wipe his face off) after coming in from recess or PE.
Is he allergic to animals at all? I am highly allergic to cats and have been known to start sneezing like crazy if the person next to me has cat dander on them. i.e. Possibly someone next to him has an animal he's allergic to?
Lastly, our kid comes home and takes a shower everyday after school to wash the pollen off. We also don't wear shoes inside our house (not tracking pollen all over) and the windows don't get opened on high pollen days, like the last few even though it's really nice outside.

I only keep my kids out of school for such things if there is a risk he could infect others. For allergies, maybe if he has an awful cough, for example, that would be a heightened distraction.

Work with the school to ward off whatever is triggering the events.

Anonymous wrote:I'm having a hard time figuring out whether or not to let my DS (9) stay home from school when his allergies are really bothering him. He already gets allergy shots and is on medication but this fall has been very difficult for him (his stuffy nose keeps him up at night) and he wants to stay home. I get that he is uncomfortable but I just can't see the situation resolving very quickly (it's not a cold) so I'd like for him to not miss too much school. How do you deal with these instances?

I think in this instance I would work with the school. Let them know he may have more absences since this has been a tough season for him and he is overly tired. Also as the PP said they can get the nurse involved and keep him indoors so his symptoms aren't exacerbated.

I would also give him one "mental health day" a semester where he can choose to stay home if he wishes. Just one. My parents did this and I do this with my children now. They rarely get used but I think it helps to have this in place. It can help a child not feel so anxious about being forced to school when they really are not feeling well.

How does staying at home make him feel? Does the reactions get better or there seem to be no end.
What is bothering him more? Inside the home or outside?
Maybe he might believe when you tell him that the school environment has less things he is allergic to compared to your home or the yard. And if the kids go out for recess, is there a way to have him stay inside in the library or even the counselors or principal's office, so he's not outside suffering, if that helps at all.

I'm having a hard time figuring out whether or not to let my DS (9) stay home from school when his allergies are really bothering him. He already gets allergy shots and is on medication but this fall has been very difficult for him (his stuffy nose keeps him up at night) and he wants to stay home. I get that he is uncomfortable but I just can't see the situation resolving very quickly (it's not a cold) so I'd like for him to not miss too much school. How do you deal with these instances?