Day off sick?

family, kids, school, ,

I tend to be very strict with my children about having a day off sick from school.  I think it came from when as a single parent I was adamant the boys would do well and they had to clearly almost dying before I allowed them to be off sick.  It backfired on me a few times, like when the school rang to say Cam had a temperature of 104 and I needed to collect him – NOW!

But I’m also very much aware that 9 times out of 10 by the time they get to school they feel fine and when they return home they are gagging to go out to play, with my mention of the illness that plagued them that morning.

This morning my eldest daughter was doing a great impression of a dying swan, with all kinds of aches and pains.  I’ve sent her to school, with cuddles and reassurance that the good old Calpol will sort her out in no time!

But – I do feel horrible and have a nagging worry that she may genuinely feel poorly and I’ve marched her off like a little soldier into battle.

So all you parents out there – when do you decide your child warrants a day off from school?  Do you give them the benefit of doubt – or are you a heartless cow like me? 😳

39 thoughts on “Day off sick?”

  1. I like your approach. Children sometimes take advantage of situations, so letting them know that they can still attend school irrespective of how they feel is a good medicine. If they can cope, the school will inform you.

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  3. I am a heartless cow. I need to see vomiting and or diarrhoea and a high temperature before they get a day off. My youngest is throwing up and going dizzy then collapsing so I have kept him at home. If he is no better tomorrow we will be off to the GP to get him looked at.x

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    1. Yep same as 😊 it’s headaches that make me doubt my instincts. I suffer from headaches and occasionally terrible migraine – course headaches don’t show up that well in symptoms – apart from the obvious of them jumping around. If someone in authority made me go to work with a bad head – I would cry 😁 hmmm she didn’t cry this morning – she must be fine ha!

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  4. I found this amazing article that I ripped out of a magazine many years ago. Basically it has a chart of when to send your child to school and when not to send your child to school. I have gone by that since day one and it has worked just fine.

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  5. My daughter is pure drama. Last year, I didn’t believe she was sick, and finally she just started crying she needed to go to a dr. I took her, and she had pneumonia! She exaggerated so any times prior, I just didn’t think it was that bad. I felt like a horrible mother.

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    1. Ah we’ve all been there, feeling like the worst parent in the world x another of my stories to the kids has always “little boy crying wolf” – we do what we think is right – usually we are – but slip up now and again xx

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  6. By the way I sent Jeff to work telling him “you have a cold Jeff, sometimes you have to just get on with it” He ended up in hospital that night, also with pneumonia. I felt like a shit wife then 😁

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  7. Generally I give it the sleep and breakfast rule. If they’re well enough to want to be awake for the day and if they are fine eating their breakfast with the usual gusto (or really at all, the first sign for all 3 that something is wrong is if they don’t want to eat) then I usually know they aren’t faking. I expect it will get worse though, they’re still in the phase of actually wanting to go to school 99% of the time!

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    1. Possibly wouldn’t work for mine – crow bar usually needed to get her out of bed – and breakfast is forced upon her 😁 they do enjoy school though once they arrive which makes a decision easier. There’s been no phone call so I’m assuming she’s recovered well 😁

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  8. Heartless cow, here. I don’t even let my son get away with “I’m full” at the dinner table because I know he is just going to ask for a snack in 15 minutes. Though I will say that he hasn’t yet tried the “I’m too sick for school” but yet. Though he did say “why do other kids get to miss school?” Maybe a hooky day will be in order when the weather is better. 😉 Glad to hear there haven’t been any calls from the school!

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  9. I’m not heartless, but I am suspicious. If there’s no vomiting, diarrhea or fever, I am one to let them have a lie-in and then decide mid-morning. Most of the time, it’s sheer exhaustion that makes them feel unwell! Two tardies each this school year, and only one absence. Work ethic is important. Giving it a go is important.
    There are some kids who seem to be on death’s door every morning, and half of mine have been that sort 😉

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  11. I’m not a parent but my mum had exactly the same approach as you so much so that faking being ill was not worth even attempting! However there was one morning where she actually commented that I looked I’ll but I still had to go in and if I got worse I could come home. I did end being sent home – turns out I had pneumonia! I still tease her about it now but I know she meant well

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  13. I used to pull a sickie as a kid. Then I tried it at secondary school, missed a day of school and then realised I had to copy all the work that I’d missed. Never did catch up, never did it again, either!

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  14. I was always careful with my son because my Mother always made my siblings and I go to school no matter what. My normal body temperature is 95.2 my Mother would take my temp and say your normal (98.6) go to school! I always allowed my son 1 day a year as a blow off day. He could use it when ever he wanted as long as he wasn’t missing an exam or something important like that.

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