In 16 years of being a parent I have NEVER once sent one of my children to school sick. I respect the rules, parents, teachers, and children they come into contact with to much to expose them to possible sickness. As a school teacher I have found that parents feel that it is perfectly acceptable to send their sick kids to school. I think these parents are selfish and believe that they and their work are more important than the other parents and children who may be affected by their decision to break daycare and school rules.
When talking to parents about why they send their kids to school sick almost every reason is self-centered and does not take into account others that may be affected by the choices they make. Most often the reason begins with “I.” Such as, “I need the hours, I don’t have any sick time, I already paid for daycare. The list of excuses is as long as my kids Christmas wish list. Never do the parents mention the consequences that might occur to other families because of their actions. It’s always about the consequence they will face for not going to work. That screams of selfishness.
I understand some of the reasons parents give for breaking the rules and I have compassion their situations but knowingly exposing others to your sick kid is WRONG. Giving fever reducing medications, and dropping your child off and crossing your fingers hoping for the best is WRONG. It is not fair to the teachers, other children, or YOUR own child. Sick kids need to be at home where they can rest and recover.
When you knowingly send your child to school sick you are possibly making YOUR problem the problem of everyone who comes into contact with your child. You may even be creating hardships for families with volatile job situations, no health insurance, and little extra money to put toward prescriptions and doctor visits. Your sick kid can cost lost wages, medical expenses, and social issues related to the work place for the parents of other children.
I understand that people have to work for a living. Missing work to take care of sick kids is not always looked upon in a positive manner by employers and may cause financial hardships. However, this is part or being a responsible parent. I believe that we all need to RESPECT other parents by helping to keep illness out of our child care centers and schools. One step in doing that is following the rules for keeping sick kids home.
The breaking of the daycare/school rules also makes me wonder in what other areas of life are these parents likely to bend the rules. To what extent will they go to get what they want. Its kind of scary once you really start to think about it.
**Photo from stock.xchng
Tags: school and sick kids, sick kids, sick kids at school, working mom, working parents