At what point would you insist your kid stay home?

[megster20185]

My son has had a cold this weekend. No fever just some snot and coughing. This morning was the same thing but looking at him he looked exhausted and was coughing a good bit. But he kept telling me “I feel fine. I want to go to school.” He’s 10 so I sent him thinking the nurse would call if he changed his mind. It’s 2:00 though and she hasn’t called and I’m wondering if I made the right choice. He’s a very driven kid and he would say that even if he wasn’t feeling good. I was very much the same as him. My mom always had to force me to stay home when she knew I was sick.

[jeaniebueller]

If he said he felt fine, I would send him. When I get a cold, in the morning, I feel the worst. So its possible that once he got to school he perked up and felt and acted much better than when you saw him in the morning. I don't usually keep home for 'just' a cold unless the cough is really persistent and would be disruptive, or if I can tell that they just need the rest.

[pooh8402]

I don't have an older kid but to answer, when he has a fever.

[shauni27]

If he says he is fine, he is fine. You would have gotten a call if he wasn't.

[kath16]

he's fine.

[joy]

Jan 13, 2020 14:41:19 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

If he says he is fine, he is fine. You would have gotten a call if he wasn't.

This... he’s fine.

[redheadk]

I think you made the right call but next time don't be afraid to email his homeroom teacher. I taught 5th grade for years and appreciated getting a heads up to keep an eye on a kid that was technically well enough for school.

[megster20185]

Jan 13, 2020 14:55:46 GMT -5 redheadk said:

I think you made the right call but next time don't be afraid to email his homeroom teacher. I taught 5th grade for years and appreciated getting a heads up to keep an eye on a kid that was technically well enough for school.

Thanks. I’ll remember this next time.

[penguingrrl]

I definitely would have sent him to school. My threshold is either vomiting or fever, anything else and they’re at school.

[waverly]

Yes we keep out for fever or vomiting. I think I've kept her home for being tired/ sick with a cold maybe once in 7 years, so not frequently.

Maybe this will work for you, but I feel like if I keep insisting and they insist than they are fine. If I keep insisting, and they don't have the energy to fight me on it, then home for them. It might not work all the time, but most of the time. I also say let the nurse know if you need to come home (caveat don't pretend you are sick). The last sentence depends on the kid's personality how they would take that.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Mine don't stay home for colds pretty much ever. If they are up all night coughing, I often don't wake them up, and if they sleep but feel ok when they do wake up, I take them in late. Like pp said, he probably feels fine most of the day, so I'd let him go to school but try to get him extra rest (so maybe skip evening activities and go to bed early) unless you have a teacher contacting you saying they think he's sick.

[readyin07]

I was that way also and my mom reinforced it too...I also went to a pretty high test college prep school so if I missed I had make up work. And a lot of it:

Anyway my general rule is fever and puking/recently puking you stay home.
If symptoms are so bad my child is majorly complaining or it will be a distraction (ie throat hurts really bad, very persistent cough and/orrunny nose) then they stay home.

I would trust his gut on this one.

[readyin07]

Jan 13, 2020 14:18:51 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

If he said he felt fine, I would send him. When I get a cold, in the morning, I feel the worst. So its possible that once he got to school he perked up and felt and acted much better than when you saw him in the morning. I don't usually keep home for 'just' a cold unless the cough is really persistent and would be disruptive, or if I can tell that they just need the rest.

I agree. Everything is all congested in the morning when you’ve been laying all night. I sometimes will get a sore throat just from mouth breathing when I am a little congested and it’s not really “sore,” just irritated and hasn’t been lubricated and feels better when I get moving.

[mrssandro]

Because it requires a doctors note to have a excused absence I only take her out for vomit and fever. Otherwise she goes to school for a cold.

[isabel]

I think 10 is old enough to make his own decision about this, barring obvious contagious illness, like fever or vomiting. I also think it empowers him to make important decisions himself, and that is something I would want to foster.

[megster20185]

Thanks all. He sounded fine when he got home and I haven’t heard him coughing since. I even offered him medicine when he got home and he declined it. I was concerned this morning mostly because his cough sounded very similar to when he had pneumonia in October.

[redheadbaker]

Jan 13, 2020 16:30:07 GMT -5 mrssandro said:

Because it requires a doctors note to have a excused absence I only take her out for vomit and fever. Otherwise she goes to school for a cold.

They make you get a doctor's note for the absence to be excused? That's such BS.

[vamoose]

This is the first winter that I have used kids cough and cold medicine for my kids for school. I keep them home when they have a fever or a very runny nose, but the cough medicine has been helpful for those persistent coughs that linger after the first few days. It helps them feel a bit better at school and not cough all over everyone.