Gettin' the back to school sniffles.

Published on September 7, 2005 By dharmagrl In Misc

It never fails.

This time every year, the week or 10 days after the kids go back to school...one of them will bring home a cold and the entire household will get it - well, almost the entire household, Dave never seems to get sick.

It's happened again this year. First Jake was sniffly all weekend, then Monday Shea got it, yesterday afternoon I started feeling like crap and now Davey has a headache and a sore throat. Jake's almost over it and Shea felt well enough to go to school today...but I'm alternating between a nose that's totally blocked or running like a faucet, my sinuses hurt, my ears hurt, and even my jaw hurts. Davey went to bed early this evening because he felt so poopy - that's a huge deal for him, he's the boy who never sleeps.

I can't blame the school, I know that they try to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria. People just send their kids to school when they're visibly ill instead of quarantining them at home. They share the germy wealth and infect the rest of us in the process. I wish that folks would spare a thought for the rest of us before they drop their sick kids off....

*sings* Oh, we got the back-to-school sniffles.....

Comments

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

The most sick leave I ever had in a Job was when I worked for the schools. I was fortuante in that I never had to use any, but it is said that it takes about 3 years for a teacher to build up enough immunity so that they dont catch every sniffle.

Trudygolightly

on Sep 08, 2005

oh Dharma, I know what this is like! EVERY school year it's the same ole thing, one can make book on it!

every single autumn.....it would be such a wonderful thing if parents DID keep their sick ones home....

they just have NO clue at all, some kids and their families have family members that can't fight infection very well
and a simple cold becomes an ear infection or sinus problem for many....

hope you feel better super duper soon!

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

The most sick leave I ever had in a Job was when I worked for the schools.

That's because they're germ and virus powerhouses. little kids don't know about infection control so stuff spreads like wildfire!

oh Dharma, I know what this is like! EVERY school year it's the same ole thing

it is, Trudy, and I really, really wish that people would keep their kids home for a day when they're sick.

I think that the reason a lot of parents send their kids to school when they're ill is because they work full-time and can't/don't want to take the day off.

foreverserenity

on Sep 08, 2005

Oh yes, we've already had our first round of the sniffles at our house! Today my throat feels "scratchy" and I'm not sure why! I hope everyone feels better soon!

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

Oh yes, we've already had our first round of the sniffles at our house! Today my throat feels "scratchy" and I'm not sure why!

That's how mine started out the day before yesterday. This morning my head feels like it weighs 100lbs and my nose is raw from wiping and sneezing....

I'm sure we'll be over it soon, but in the meantime thanks for the good thoughts!

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

That's because they're germ and virus powerhouses. little kids don't know about infection control so stuff spreads like wildfire!

My youngest daughter brought the Chicken Pox home. And then passed it to my other kids. Except for my oldest son. He never got it.

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

My youngest daughter brought the Chicken Pox home.

My friends kids had chicken pox when all of mine were pre-school age (this was before the vaccine was widely available) so we took all three of ours over there to play for an afternoon. A week later, they all broke out...Dave took leave to help me care for them, and we got the chicken pox out of the way before they started school. I'm glad that we did it like that....rather than have one get it, then pass it on to their siblings we let them get it all at the same time. Otherwise we'd have been spending over a month tending to kids that either had, were fixing to get, or were getting over the chicken pox!

I find that the two things that spead fast and almost uncontrollably in schools are colds and stomach bugs. Droplet infection and unwashed hands are the methods of transmission, despite the teachers spraying everything liberally with Lysol and making the kids use hand sanitizer.

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

I find that the two things that spead fast and almost uncontrollably in schools are colds and stomach bugs. Droplet infection and unwashed hands are the methods of transmission, despite the teachers spraying everything liberally with Lysol and making the kids use hand sanitizer.

And head lice! Since the school division started using head phones on the computers. Bad move!

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

And head lice! Since the school division started using head phones on the computers. Bad move!

Oh heck yes it is!!! That's as bad as sharing hats! Ewww! What bright spark came up with that piece of genius?

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

Oh heck yes it is!!! That's as bad as sharing hats! Ewww! What bright spark came up with that piece of genius?

Some burnt out administrator. But even Josten's has a big ticket item system that requires headphones! They tried to install that, but fortunately, their promises never panned out, so we yanked it.

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

Some burnt out administrator.

Sounds like someone was eating stupid sandwiches for lunch that day....

bakerstreet

on Sep 08, 2005

Same thing happens here. My little girl suffered like death her kindergarden year. She had only had the sniffles probably once in her life previous. The first year of school she missed a month, spread out over 5 or 6 illnesses.

I hate to be a snot (yuck yuck yuck), but I know people whose kids are always sniffling, school or not. A friend of the family's kid was taking cough syrup and nose medicine almost constantly before he started school. Who are these bacteria breeders, and why the hell are their kids always sick? Do they not teach their kids to wash their hands? Do they go around wiping their nose on the furniture.

My house isn't "clean", not by a longshot, but I have to wonder how in the hell these people manage to keep breeding these bugs. Nice people, nice houses, far wealthier than me, and their kids are always sneezing on my daughter at school. I'm sick of it.

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

She had only had the sniffles probably once in her life previous. The first year of school she missed a month, spread out over 5 or 6 illnesses.

That's how my Jake was his first year of school. He was a pretty healthy kid before he started kindergarten, but then he started public school and got strep throat 3 times in the year, missing a week every time and being really quite ill.

I hate to be a snot (yuck yuck yuck), but I know people whose kids are always sniffling, school or not. A friend of the family's kid was taking cough syrup and nose medicine almost constantly before he started school.

Har har.....

There's something not right with that scenario. If a kid has to take cold meds and cough syrup almost constantly then I'd have thought a trip to the doctor would have been warranted. thye might have a bacterial infection that needs treating, or their immune system might be compromised in some way.....either way, it's just not normal to be ill like that all the time.

My house isn't "clean", not by a longshot, but I have to wonder how in the hell these people manage to keep breeding these bugs.

Our house isn't sterile. It's not filthy, it's just lived in, and whilst I can practice infection control here (spraying the door handles down with lysol and disinfecting surfaces etc etc) it does no good if the kids are spending most of their days with kids whose homes are bacterial breeding grounds.

Nice people, nice houses, far wealthier than me, and their kids are always sneezing on my daughter at school. I'm sick of it.

I know the feeling. My sons friend has parents who both work full time. Davey's always talking about what this kid has...big screen TV, brand new vehicles, name brand shoes and clothes....but will this kids mother take a day off when her son has a cold so he doesn't infect his classmates? No.....because she can't afford to. In order to maintain the lifestyle she's so proud of her kids having she has to work all day, every day. There's no time for illnesses.

Personally, I'd rather have a used car, a 32" TV, no-name clothes and healthy kids. That's what's REALLY important to me.

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