Yesterday I got a call from the school saying that Logan had fallen asleep in class and they took his temperature and it was 104 degrees. When I got to the school he was asleep in the nurse's office and when they woke him up he looked awful.
We parked ourselves on the couch ("Momma, will you sit with me?") with water and the TV (River Monsters - one of his favorite shows!) and he slept on and off the rest of the night. He turned down dinner - which has NEVER happened before - and barely chatted with us at all. Every time he got up to go to the bathroom he cried about how bad his head hurt.
As a parent, when your child is sick like this, the feeling is ultimate helplessness. You do what you can to relieve their suffering and reach out to friends and family to find what old wives tales they've tried that have been successful, what medicines they've used in the past, and whether they would take their kid to the Doctor given the same situation. It is unfortunate but kids don't come with instruction manuals!
This morning I woke up hoping for the Hail Mary; the hope that everything would be all better and we could go on with our daily routine. As a working Momma one of the most difficult decisions to make is whether to call in sick or force the kiddos to school and see what happens. Mostly I'm a "just go and you'll feel better once you get there," kind of girl. That's how my Momma raised me, and so many times she was right. The risk you take is the ridicule you may receive; that is, will the school teachers and administrators think, "Why the heck did she send him back already?" Or will other kids get sick, probably through no fault of your child, and their parents will blame you? It really is a crap shoot. I like to err on the side of my kid spending as many days at school as possible. The fact is when you grow up and have a job you don't get to stay home for every sniffle or cough, every headache or cramp. You have to "buck up" and get on with your day. Of course there are always those that seemed to have never received that memo; my kids get it, loud and clear.
Today, I called in sick. Logan is still running a temp (although it is much lower) and I'm saving myself the judgement. We will see what tomorrow brings. If he's chatty and feeling OK, it's off to school he goes. I've got to get back to work!
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