My Child Will Be Absent Today
Every year there are the seasonal outbreaks of the flu, colds and even chicken pox and every year we are told to wash our hands, stay home if we are sick and keep our sick children home from school.
Well I do all of these things and still I see the same red cheeked kid in class with the obviously infectious green goop hanging from his or her nose. Every year I ask, is this child going home or will I be pulling my kid out for the day because I really don’t want him to become ill. It breaks my heart when I see this happen especially when a parent knew full well that the child was sick because they spent the early part of the morning cleaning up the vomit in their car.
I feel for the parents that are working and will face the scorn from their boss should they have to miss work and I surely feel for the stressed out mom that needs a break from a tough weekend spent caring for a disabled child or any child for that matter but think about the kid for a second. How awful they feel, how utterly miserable it is spending all day waiting for option 1 on the emergency call list, option 2 then option 3 only to have spent the entire day laying around in a bean-bag chair. How much better it would be to have stayed home tucked in a cozy bed, feeling a cool palm on their hot forehead and being soothed by caring cuddles.
This year it may not be an issue only because the schools are threatening to close when a certain percentage of the population is suspected of having the H1N1 virus. Unfortunately this may be the first year that no one has to call in their child’s absence.
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@solidsnake8462@xanga – Definately unfair!! Emphasis should be on achievement whether you are there every day or have to do a home study stint for whatever reason. Messed Up. It was probably a cheap laptop they bought on ebay so don’t despair. 🙂
@stardustskye@xanga – Wow. I’m glad your teachers made the exception. I guess that’s your incentive not to miss school. Unfortunately, I never had that option, even if I were to pass with an A in the class without taking the exam. They would fail us on the spot for not showing up for the final exams.
@P1AutismMom – You’re right on that. Schools do get money for every child that attends that day. Well, it’s a reward for not missing a single day of school. It’s just highly unfair for those that had unavoidable absences (i.e. surgery, food poisoning, etc.). I didn’t know about the whole laptop thing until I was a senior in high school.
@P1AutismMom – haha thank you! I hope the same for you 🙂
@stardustskye@xanga – I really and truly hope you all have healthy years ahead. Get plenty of rest and Wash your hands a lot!!! 🙂
@solidsnake8462@xanga – Just because you show up you get a laptop? It’s got to be a $$$ thing because I know that schools lose funding when there are absenses. That really stinks and is sending the wrong message. Well I sure hope you all stay well this year. 🙂 Thanks for checking out my blog. Much appreciated!
@solidsnake8462@xanga – in my school district, if you had more than three absences, excused or unexcused, you were not exempt from your spring exams, even if you met the minimal 80 average requirement. so sometimes it’s not about perfect attendance, but desperately not wanting to take exams (because, honestly, who wants to take them?). I had food poisoning earlier in the semester and had thrown up that morning. I ended up vomitting in the middle of 2nd period gym, and I had the nurse fuss at me for even showing up to school and send me home. :/ the absences would’ve prevented me from getting exemptions, but thankfully my teachers didn’t count them that day.
The worst part is that some kids are being sent to school for attendance reasons regardless of their health. The idea of having “perfect attendance” is prevalent throughout elementary, middle, and high school. In the Chicago Public School system, children who have had perfect attendance for all 12 years of school are awarded a laptop.
@P1AutismMom – Yes, she and I were both ready to throw a party when it was discussed that, after having my daughter, I wouldn’t be able to afford to stay there and pay a daycare…I literally would have been working *just* to pay daycare. Imagine, having to deal with that special woman and for peanuts! It got to the point where, whenever I was starting to feel ill, I would find an excuse to go into her office and touch as many things as possible. She locked her office door behind her at night, so stopping by on my way to the restroom and poking my head in, with my hand resting on the knob, was a favorite.
While I think (hope) that she was nastier than average about it, it seems to be the general consensus of employers these days.
@P1AutismMom – Oh, sorry! you said former. Well, good for you
@filtered_sunlight@momaroo – Then the first person you should cough on when you get there is definately your boss.
Thanks for your comment.
@lizheartshakespeare@xanga – And it’s the same in the work force.
In the immortal words of my former boss, “Take some DayQuil and get your ass here!!”
@trulytito@xanga – Well, thank you, that is so nice of you to say and I appreciate it very much 🙂
@SavonDuJour@xanga – Yeah, I know. Realistically there is no way to avoid getting sick but I like the odds to be better slanted in our favor and the sick kid at school is just not right. You wouldn’t believe some of the sad scenarios we’ve come across. Those Poor Kids 🙁
In general, by the time a kid is exhibiting symptoms the illness has already been passed on during the incubation phase so keeping a kid home who is sick might mean less children do get sick, but it might not make much of a difference at all.
hello P1AutismMom,
what are you doing?
i think you have noticed that i have been following your posts for last few hours. (i am new to xanga, and opened my account only 20 hours ago.)
your posts are incredible
simply incredible
wonderful
outstanding
keep it up.
regards.
trulytito
(tito dutta)
@lizheartshakespeare@xanga – Thank you so much for your well wishes. He’s generally a happy kid but I’m sure he would tell you himself “if he could” that he would rather not have the OCD, Anxiety and Sensativity components to his condition. We hope that after puberty wanes so will these issues. :0)
@P1AutismMom – It is a shame, but I doubt it will change any time soon. Here’s to hoping though, right? I wish you and your sons all the luck in the world, and bless you for caring for a child with autism. It can’t be easy, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
@SarahAriella@xanga – That’s certainly the more responsible route to take and like I said, if I have to I will take my healthy kid home. It’s just not worth it is it? Thank You and Stay Well this Season!:)
We don’t go out when we are sick…period. I have missed class in college (I still have a 4.0). My son has missed school and my husband has missed work. Infecting others or getting even sicker isn’t an option.
@lizheartshakespeare@xanga – I hear you and feel bad that this is what we as a society have created for our students, grade school all the way through college. Sounds like you are a conscientious person and that is wonderful! I sincerely wish you well in your studies and your health. Studying can not be fun when you are not feeling well. I thank you for your intelligent and sincere comments
I would love to be able to stay home from my classes, I really would. I bring tissue, cold medicine, and plenty of hand sanitizer with me. I try and stay away from people and make sure I don’t come into contact with something that a lot of people will use without sanitizing it after I’m done. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to stay home because then I will fall behind in my classes. Because its the beginning of the semester, many professors will drop students who don’t show up, even if they attempt to contact them. I’m just “supposed to deal with it” as one of my professors said. Even with the outbreak of H1N1, many professors and school administrators are taking a lax attitude on it and still expect their students to be in class. If I fall behind in my classes, I will lose my financial aid and could be kicked out of school. I guess I’m saying all this to point out that while it would be ideal to stay home and rest, its simply not an option for everyone.