Take a Sick Child to Your Work Day - January 17, 2007

It wasn’t my son’s quivering lip or his “Mommy-don’t-leave-me” wail that stopped me in my tracks: It was a sneeze. More specifically, a really wet mutant sneeze that erupted from the south quadrant of the room. With neck hairs bristling, I spun around to identify the culprit: Trevor, with a fresh stream of green nasal discharge running down his face.
Germ Freak Conscience: Do I stay or do I go? Will anyone notice if I abduct little Trev for the first annual Take a Sick Child to Work Day?
Rational Mom Conscience: Breathe, but not too deeply or you'll inhale his sneeze. Remember, you can’t shield your kids from every germ.
So, I did what every self-respecting Germ Freak Mother would do: got in my oh-so-sexy minivan and drove to work, where I spent the remainder of the morning Googling “mutant sneeze”. Thankfully my son was impervious to the sneeze and remained unscathed. . . for that day anyway.
But the experience points to an issue that all parents are grappling with this cold and flu season: How can we reduce the number of times our kids get sick without losing our sanity or raising the next Howard Hughes? While nay-sayers cling to the “Hygiene Hypothesis”—the fact that today’s homes are too clean—I don’t agree. (Maybe because my house is always such a dump) We as a generation are exposing our kids to more germs earlier than we were. For example, I took my first plane ride when I was ten, whereas my four-year-olds are already wracking up their frequent flier miles; my family went to restaurants on special occasions only, whereas most kids today eat out at least once or twice a week (Do you know who’s coughing on your kid’s mac ‘n cheese?)Since kids are out and about a lot more than ever, it makes sense to take reasonable steps to teach them how to wash their hands and when; to avoid eating other people’s food and to avoid coughing on, sneezing on or otherwise gooping their playmates.
I’d love to hear from other parents who are fighting the good fight. Do you have any tips to keep your kids healthy? Any great immune-boosting recipes that kids will actually eat?
Here’s a product I just ordered. I think this is a great idea if you have kids. www.squidsoap.com. I'll let you know how it goes.

Labels: Take a Sick Child to Work Day