You know what? It's hard being a Mom. Everyone has a judgement or criticism. My daughter has been sick more times than I can even name this year. The school now wants a doctors excuse for every absence, although I've provided one for almost every single absence other than a stomach virus that lasted a week. The doctors don't want you dragging your sick children into their office when it's viral and there's nothing they can do. Why spread it around to more children and why waste insurance company money.
It's so frustrating, because the old adage "You/re damned if you do and you're damned if you don't" totally applies here. Today I chose to send her to school. I told the doctor about her being sick so much and the school wanting a note and his reply was to play their game and send her to school sick and let them send her home. Well let me tell you that this is MUCH easier said than done. Unless you have a fever, good luck getting sent home from school. This morning she dramatically told me how bad she felt. The pressure to get her in school made me question her and wonder if she was faking it because she was so dramatic about it. Well a little after 1 today, sure enough, the nurse called, "she has a fever of 101 and is sick to her stomach". She said it was the second time she had been in her office but they didn't call the first time because she didn't have a fever.
At this point, she has now infected countless other children because she's been contagious all day long.
The nurse looked at me like the bad guy for sending her and asked if I had blood work done to find out why she is sick so much. The doctor said "it is what it is", he said this is a bad year for illness and she's just getting one virus after another. What can you do? She eats well, she gets plenty of rest and takes a vitamin every day. I disinfect my house constantly, all of my ducks are in a row. So let me say that "it is what it is" is no easy thing to live with, let me tell you. Not only does it make you feel awful for your child who continually gets one virus after another, but you have to deal with the critics because your child has missed so much school and then when you decide that even though your gut says this is real sickness, you send them anyway, and err on the side of caution with your fever less child. So far I've sent her twice when I had a slight doubt and both times have ended up with her coming home with a fever. So here she is feeling just awful and having had no business being in school today!!
