Yes, Sick Season is upon us and my family is getting a head start with a round of fevers and coughs. Sure, this is to be expected this time of year, but that doesn't mean that everyone who is sick has an all-access hall pass to spread their germs. Here are a few ways I will do my part in helping society by NOT spreading our flu-like germs to others, and if you care about your friends and family then you will too!1. No parties or play-dates. Spare others the pain of your illness by staying home until everyone is feeling better. It doesn't matter if the kids are going stir-crazy, so am I! But it's a matter of respect for other people's health.
2. Teach your child how to cover their cough. The new thing is to cough into your elbow, not your hand, that way you don't continue to spread the germs from your hands to whatever else your grubby little child touches. How gross is it when you are out and someone coughs over his shoulder without even paying attention to the pregnant chick standing behind him?
3. Fevers mean...stay the @!#$ home! Don't go out until the fever has been cleared for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, at least that's what the school attendance line says, so you'd think that more parents would be aware of the reasons behind that and stop spreading their kids germs. There are good reasons for these rules, people.
4. Stop the denial. If you think it's going to just resolve itself, you are wrong. You need to address whatever is ailing your kiddos and follow the recommended treatment. It's best to start at the first signs of being sick, so don't spend a week "waiting to see" what happens. Water. Rest. Quarantine. 'Nuff said.
5. Be rude if necessary. I am going to be more assertive in telling sick people to stay away. Okay, I don't want to be rude, I like to be nice and have people like me. But, I HATE being sick and even worse having SICK KIDS. So, with that said, you need to take a stand and just be frank and honest with people who are obviously sick and tell them to stay away until they are better. No offense. (This, however, takes some practice, and you have to be prepared to call someone out with your bull-@#$% detector. We've all heard the excuses, "Oh, it's just a little cough. Just a runny nose. Oh, it's not contagious. It's just allergies." Be prepared to JUST SAY NO to the people who actually really LIE about their kids being sick, then claim how coincidental it is that now you are sick, and how it must just be "going around.")
Okay, that's enough for my rant on getting sick from kids who should be home in bed, and their parents who either don't know better or just don't care about other people's well-being.
Now I'm going to go drink more honey-lemon hot water, and convince the kids it's time for a family nap.
