Sick kids!
Strep tests were negative…whew! I brought the two older boys to the pediatrician’s office first thing yesterday morning because they were complaining of sore throats and no one would eat breakfast. The doctor checked them over but said it’s probably just a viral thing. I ended up bringing Cody to school late because he truly seemed fine. He hasn’t really wanted to go lately and as a former “sickness faker,” I didn’t want to give him any ideas for the future. He was fine with going but I had a case of mommy guilt. It’s so hard to know if they’re really ok or if they should be home resting. I was so relieved when he got off the bus this afternoon and immediately wanted to play outside.
There have been lots of sneezes and sniffles around here lately though and I am just bracing myself for what’s to come. It’ll certainly be a whole lot easier to deal with now that I am not teaching this year, that’s for sure! That’s the worst as a working mom to have to deal with those last minute sicknesses….a fever when they wake up in the morning or someone vomiting as you are about to walk out the door. It leads to that last minute scramble, as you and your spouse look at one another trying to figure out who has to cancel their day at the very last minute. I always wanted to be the one to stay home with my sick kids; after all what sick kid doesn’t want their mommy there to take care of them? However, as a teacher it was always so much more work for me to be out than it was to go in to school. I’ve spent many early mornings inside my classroom writing sub plans and trying to get everything ready for someone else. Or worse than the last minute sickness is the “iffy sickness.” You know, when they’ve been out for a day or two already and probably would benefit from another day of rest but you just can’t take anymore time off. It feels awful making that judgment call as to whether your child is well enough to go to school or not. I have to say it was the nicest feeling for me to just play the morning by ear and not have to deal with the stress of figuring anything out.
Working moms who do you depend on when you have a sick child? How do you deal with the last minute scramble or the tough calls?