Do you send them when they say they are sick?

[lindaM]

DS woke up this am saying he didn't feel good. Said everything hurt. Told him no t.v. if he was staying home. He is 7 in 2nd grade and only goes to be with the other kids. Everything else "bores me to death". So after dd went to school I told him he could go on the computer and work on the 3rd Grade Math Adventure game. He just finished in after 2 hours. He said "wow that was more interesting than school work" Augh. He's done this before too.

So would you send them when you know there not that sick?

Now he's reading Harry Potter in the Living room cuddled up on the couch.

[AnnW]

My 2nd grader is home today too!
I think it really depends on the circumstances in which they become sick. Lots of time, dd wakes up saying she is sick, but she is just tired and doesn't want to get out of bed! LOL She goes.
Last night, she was complaining of a headache during dinner, didn't even want dessert and went to bed early...when I woke her up this am and she said that she still feel good, I went over the "sick at home rules" with her and she said that she didn't even care if she got out of bed all day....I knew she didn't feel good.
I make staying at home pretty boring if I think that they are faking it. No computers, I will let them lay in my room or on the couch and watch tv, or they can read. No playing outside or with friends when they have that "miraculous" recovery at 3! LOL

[kathleen]

I've had it go both ways -- have sometimes sent my son to school when he said he didn't feel well and sometimes kept him home. Just last Friday, I sent him to school after he said he didn't feel well -- but he had no temperature and wasn't sick to his stomach. About 12:00 the school nurse called me to come get him -- he had a fever of 101. (Took him to Dr. for strep test, but it was negative, so Dr. said it was probably too early for it to show up on the test, but based on his sickly-smelling breath and how his throat looked, she put him on antibiotic.) Other times, I have kept him home when he didn't feel well, and he has run, jumped, and played all day. You never know. When he was in pre-school, we sometimes just had "stay at home days", but now that he is in school, we "try" to go. I feel like I never do the right thing with whatever choice I make!

[bizymum]

I can usually tell if Ds is faking. He is 7 and in Grade 2.
SOmetimes though I do send him and the school calls me to come and get him. Then sometimes when I dont send him it is the same thing, he lays down for aboutu 1/2 hour then he is ready to run around and play...

On the days I do send him even though he says he is feeling sick, then the school calls me I feel really bad. Alot of that happens when he is really tired too.

[Diane]

I could always tell by looking in my dd's eyes whether they were REALLY sick or not... if they looked sick to me or if they were running a temperature or throwing up... they stayed home. They very seldom ever got away with staying home when they weren't sick... and when/if they ever did they soon found out that going to school was a lot funner than staying home. Staying in bed reading or watching tv was definitely not quite what they had planned for their day... LOL I would definitely not let them stay home just because they didn't feel like going to school.

Diane... :wave:

[Lynda/WA]

I have yet to have either of the kids fake it so if they say they are sick I keep them home. DD (6yrs/K) hasn't been sick at all. The teacher called once for DS (10yrs/4th)right at the end of school and I kept him home the next day even though he said he felt ok. He still took a nap so I know he wasn't up to par yet. When she and I spoke later I told her that if DS ever says he even feels a little bad to call since he downplays it. DD has tried faking a little to get medicine. When I said that you lay down after getting medicine she decided she didn't feel so bad after all! Luckily both are good when sick. They just want to sleep. If fact DS will decline resting on the couch with the TV on and go to bed instead.

[MaryL]

Luckily (knock on wood) my have been very healthy as far as school goes. If they have a fever then I keep them home. My 2nd grader hasn't missed a day of school yet! Even if I'm taking a day off (personal day...sick day) he wants to go to school! It does make me feel better that I'm at the same school with them, so I can check on them as needed. Dh and I rarely use sick days either. So maybe our kids just don't see that excuse.

At school, I tend to believe children who say they aren't feeling well. I try my usual remedies...(do you need to go potty? Would a drink help? Are you hungry for snack?)...and if those don't work, then I have the secretary call home. Most children aren't complainers...so I trust them. (However, if I see a pattern, I will talk with the parents to get their opinion...and find out how long they want me to see how their child feels before calling home.)

[darlene]

If the kids have a fever or have been throwing up thru the night, they definately stay home. However, if they just say "my tummy hurts", I always tell them "let's get ready for school and then see how it feels." Often it is better by then....or "go to school and if you are still feeling bad by recess, call and I/daddy will come and get you."
I can always tell when middle dd is sick....she shows on the outside what she feels like on the inside.

:)

[kat]

I can usually always tell by the eyes and I'm a very good human thermometer. I can tell with a hug if ds has even a half degree of fever. When mine stay home because they are sick, then they must get plenty of rest. They'd usually rather go to school than stay home resting all day. Ds has always made good grades and we always have a "hookie" day every year.

[Linda/NE]

I always dread my kids saying they don't feel good when they aren't running a fever and haven't gotten physically sick.

Both ds's have woke up before with a horrible cough or with diarrhea. I don't send them to school and by lunch time they aren't acting the least bit sick. I have taken them back to school for the afternoon at times too.

I think it's the hardest decision to make. When kids stay home they aren't allowed to watch tv, play computer or play around. They're supposed to rest on their bed. Depending on what way they are sick we may let them watch tv after they've napped for a while.

[MaryL]

Originally posted by kat
Ds has always made good grades and we always have a "hookie" day every year.

I'd forgotten....but my mom did this for us too! We were good kids, got decent grades, didn't miss much school, etc. She'd plan a "hookie" day, and we'd spend the day shopping, etc. It was such a huge treat for us. Thanks for the memory, Kat!