Anonymous wrote:If you have a job without benefits- don’t have a lot of kids. It’s not that hard. My salary is X. I’d like to have more kids- but I can’t.
If you are truly unable to attend to your sick children (neglect) you need to re-evaluate your ability to parent. And yes- this goes for the CVS cashier and the aspiring law parenter mom/dad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, all these people who don't have access to childcare or sick leave. Such jerks.

Get over yourself, OP, and be glad that's your biggest worry in life. I mean it. There are people who have a hell of a lot more to deal with.

Give me a break. Are people just not accountable for ANYTHING anymore. Your kids are sick, you keep them home. I am a pregnant teacher and will not tolerate any sick child in my class. They can sit in the nurses office all day if the parents don’t care to come get them. Most of them eventually do.

Don’t have kids if you can’t take care of them.

As a teacher, I believe this is the root of our frustration. I'm sure what I'm about to say won't be very popular, but it's something that's been eating at me slowly throughout the years because there is such a snowball effect as to what schools and teachers are expected to be accountable for. There's been a gradual release of accountability from parents and families, and that has landed on schools/teachers.

Parents forgot to pack a snack? I'm expected to provide one that I have to buy out of my own pocket. Parents don't provide school supplies? I am expected to provide them and the $200 budget I get for all supplies for the entire year doesn't stretch that far when many students arrive without any school supplies. The school wants to foster relationships with parents? Teachers are expected to donate food/activities/personal time for the event since the events with the best attendance provide free food. Parents can't afford holiday gifts for their children? There's an angel tree in the staff lounge that we're expected to fulfill. Parents can't pick their kids up from after free school clubs, which we sponsor completely uncompensated, at the designated pick up time? We're expected to sit and wait with the kids until the parents show up. There are schools where there are washers and dryers, and staff rotate taking turns doing laundry for students so that they have clean clothes--my school hasn't gotten to this point yet but the precedent has been set by other schools so it's only a matter of time before it reaches more schools.

So when parents send their clearly sick kids to school, it feels like one more way that they have released accountability for their kids onto us. It's not any of the one things in a vacuum, but the snowball effect of all of them. But when your kid pukes on the carpet in my classroom when they puked at home last night but sent them into school anyway, and then the virus slowly goes through the classroom culminating in my need to take some of my 8 total days of sick leave for the year, it feels like the straw that broke the camel's back.

I work in a focus school, and I stay because I truly care about the kids. The kids aren't responsible for their parents' choices. But it's morale depleting and frustrating when the parents seem to have time and money for the "wants" but not the "needs" because they know it will be supplied for them. There's money for their 8 year old to have their own iphone, but not $20 for a holiday gift since they know one will be provided if they ask the school. They know that there are no consequences to them for releasing accountability of their kids onto the school. That knowledge allows them to have more kids than they can provide for, as well. The actual teaching part of my job is almost secondary by now. I am mom, nurse, therapist, janitor and social worker all wrapped up in a teacher's job title.

Cue the "you shouldn't be a teacher" and "I'm glad you're not my child's teacher" comments. No worries, I don't work in a DCUM approved school. But for me, at least, this is a big reason why I get so frustrated when parents send their sick kids to school. Of course, there's also the factor of knowing the kid feels miserable and would much rather be comfortable at home than at school but their parent sent them anyway. I understand what an inconvenience it is to need to be at work but your kid needs to stay home, especially with the sub shortage going on. But I am the parent, not the school, so I do what's best for my kid and what's best for his classmates and teacher which is to keep him home when he's sick.

You sound like our teacher. We send in snacks but they never get acknowledged and don't even know if you nether, so we stop. We send in extra supplies and they don't ever seem to get used. We send in cleaning supplies and the few times we go in the classroom, they are clearly not being used as the desks, chairs and tables are filthy. We offer to come in and help and do the cleaning and get turned down. We'd like to keep our kids healthy too. We are not mind readers. If our 8 years old runs out of supplies, send a note home or email and let us know and you will get it either next day or as soon as we can get it. You need holiday donations or clothing, just send an email and let us know.

I am so tired of teachers who do not communicate needs and then bitterly complain.

The big issue with keeping kids home is they end up impacting their grades. Mine has been home 8 days in 3 weeks and we were promised to have the work sent home. I asked several times and it never get sent home. My child's grades were severely impacted this marking period and that is not fair. Next time mine is going to school.

Anonymous wrote:Sending kids with vomiting, fevers, etc. is horrible, but I’m surprised to see so many people implying that kids should be kept home for coughs, colds, etc. Our pediatrician always says to go back to school "after 24 hours fever free" or similar...wouldn’t truancy be an issue if kids took a week off for every cold or minor virus? My otherwise-healthy little kids seem to have runny noses and sneezing half the winter, and the doctor says that’s typical.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed that cold symptoms are normal daily part of winter. Ni, it’s not normal to have such frequent colds. But you can thank other parents for your kid catching them so often.

I think it's because the kids are fed crap. Tons of quick, processed convenience foods and not enough fresh veggies. Also, not enough rest time or sleep.

There's a kid on my DD's team who is always sick. She'll get over one cold and have a few days before catching another one. This kid is maxed out... home from school, off to a lesson, off to practice, off to dance, home for a bath and bedtime. Rinse and repeat each night. There isn't one night during the week where she doesn't have 2 or 3 activities after school. The mom is always dropping her off with either fast food or some processed crap to quickly eat before practice begins.

There is zero benefit of having your kids in a sport or an academic extracurricular to be healthy if in order to participate in those those things they must fill their bodies with junk food and forego the appropriate amount of sleep for a kid their age.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, all these people who don't have access to childcare or sick leave. Such jerks.

Get over yourself, OP, and be glad that's your biggest worry in life. I mean it. There are people who have a hell of a lot more to deal with.

Give me a break. Are people just not accountable for ANYTHING anymore. Your kids are sick, you keep them home. I am a pregnant teacher and will not tolerate any sick child in my class. They can sit in the nurses office all day if the parents don’t care to come get them. Most of them eventually do.

Don’t have kids if you can’t take care of them.

As a teacher, I believe this is the root of our frustration. I'm sure what I'm about to say won't be very popular, but it's something that's been eating at me slowly throughout the years because there is such a snowball effect as to what schools and teachers are expected to be accountable for. There's been a gradual release of accountability from parents and families, and that has landed on schools/teachers.

Parents forgot to pack a snack? I'm expected to provide one that I have to buy out of my own pocket. Parents don't provide school supplies? I am expected to provide them and the $200 budget I get for all supplies for the entire year doesn't stretch that far when many students arrive without any school supplies. The school wants to foster relationships with parents? Teachers are expected to donate food/activities/personal time for the event since the events with the best attendance provide free food. Parents can't afford holiday gifts for their children? There's an angel tree in the staff lounge that we're expected to fulfill. Parents can't pick their kids up from after free school clubs, which we sponsor completely uncompensated, at the designated pick up time? We're expected to sit and wait with the kids until the parents show up. There are schools where there are washers and dryers, and staff rotate taking turns doing laundry for students so that they have clean clothes--my school hasn't gotten to this point yet but the precedent has been set by other schools so it's only a matter of time before it reaches more schools.

So when parents send their clearly sick kids to school, it feels like one more way that they have released accountability for their kids onto us. It's not any of the one things in a vacuum, but the snowball effect of all of them. But when your kid pukes on the carpet in my classroom when they puked at home last night but sent them into school anyway, and then the virus slowly goes through the classroom culminating in my need to take some of my 8 total days of sick leave for the year, it feels like the straw that broke the camel's back.

I work in a focus school, and I stay because I truly care about the kids. The kids aren't responsible for their parents' choices. But it's morale depleting and frustrating when the parents seem to have time and money for the "wants" but not the "needs" because they know it will be supplied for them. There's money for their 8 year old to have their own iphone, but not $20 for a holiday gift since they know one will be provided if they ask the school. They know that there are no consequences to them for releasing accountability of their kids onto the school. That knowledge allows them to have more kids than they can provide for, as well. The actual teaching part of my job is almost secondary by now. I am mom, nurse, therapist, janitor and social worker all wrapped up in a teacher's job title.

Cue the "you shouldn't be a teacher" and "I'm glad you're not my child's teacher" comments. No worries, I don't work in a DCUM approved school. But for me, at least, this is a big reason why I get so frustrated when parents send their sick kids to school. Of course, there's also the factor of knowing the kid feels miserable and would much rather be comfortable at home than at school but their parent sent them anyway. I understand what an inconvenience it is to need to be at work but your kid needs to stay home, especially with the sub shortage going on. But I am the parent, not the school, so I do what's best for my kid and what's best for his classmates and teacher which is to keep him home when he's sick.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a job without benefits- don’t have a lot of kids. It’s not that hard. My salary is X. I’d like to have more kids- but I can’t.
If you are truly unable to attend to your sick children (neglect) you need to re-evaluate your ability to parent. And yes- this goes for the CVS cashier and the aspiring law parenter mom/dad.

Or maybe we as a society could find more ways to support families so that parents feel like they can take more sick days. I’ve lost track of the number of times I see statements on here like, “if you can’t do XYZ” or be entirely self sufficient, don’t have kids. Thing is, outside of the UMC DC bubble, more families struggle than not. I’m curious who these posters would like to fill the next generation of Americans if all these people heed their advice and not have children. Immigrants I guess?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, all these people who don't have access to childcare or sick leave. Such jerks.

Get over yourself, OP, and be glad that's your biggest worry in life. I mean it. There are people who have a hell of a lot more to deal with.

Give me a break. Are people just not accountable for ANYTHING anymore. Your kids are sick, you keep them home. I am a pregnant teacher and will not tolerate any sick child in my class. They can sit in the nurses office all day if the parents don’t care to come get them. Most of them eventually do.

Don’t have kids if you can’t take care of them.

Anonymous wrote:If you have a job without benefits- don’t have a lot of kids. It’s not that hard. My salary is X. I’d like to have more kids- but I can’t.
If you are truly unable to attend to your sick children (neglect) you need to re-evaluate your ability to parent. And yes- this goes for the CVS cashier and the aspiring law parenter mom/dad.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone so quick to blame Karen and Becky.

You do realize that there are some parents who do not earn sick/vacation leave, and if they do not work, they do not get paid. And not getting paid that day or two might mean the difference in paying the rent or not, in buying medication for a family member or not, or putting meals on the table or not.

According to Mana Food Center (Montgomery County, https://www.mannafood.org/about/), there are 63,000 county residents who experience hunger and food insecurity. From the link: "Our county is one of the most affluent in the country, yet one in three public school students receives free and discounted school lunches..."

Even the schools with less than 5% FARMS have some students on FARMS. Not everyone lives the charmed life some of you seem to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 1yo spiked a fever the day after we were on a plane. I had even wiped down our row with disinfectant Wipes. Clearly there were sick people on our plane. Fever has been gone for 3 days but very slight sniffles - think we are ok to fly back tomorrow? I don’t want to get anyone else sick. We could change flight to two days later but would cost extra $800 for the 4 of us.

I think you are fine at this point. 1yo is not going to do a lot of social interactions.

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed that cold symptoms are normal daily part of winter. Ni, it’s not normal to have such frequent colds. But you can thank other parents for your kid catching them so often.

Anonymous wrote:My 1yo spiked a fever the day after we were on a plane. I had even wiped down our row with disinfectant Wipes. Clearly there were sick people on our plane. Fever has been gone for 3 days but very slight sniffles - think we are ok to fly back tomorrow? I don’t want to get anyone else sick. We could change flight to two days later but would cost extra $800 for the 4 of us.