It's The Most Horrific Time Of Year

It's the beginning of school. A time where children get dressed in their new, never worn clothes, use their sharpened pencils for the first time and contract every disease known to man.

With our son out of daycare, our 17 month old has not been sick. Ok, there may have been the one time he had a slight fever for 24 hours, but it has been nothing like the weeks of caring for a sick boy at home only to return him to the infested daycare to catch something else the next day. So for 8 whole months, we have been in the clear...until now.

With my stepson returning to school, he has brought to our house the first germs of the year. Here is where I should insert my PSA: 

PARENTS:

If your child goes to school and comes home with a runny nose, they have caught something. No, it's not all-of-a-sudden-allergies or the change in the weather that has caused this symptom. They are getting sick. 

While most children who have been exposed to such viruses in the past may be able to fight it off quickly others, such as babies and toddlers may not be so fortunate. So do not be idiots. Plan for the worst. Get your children medicine, keep them away from other kids and elderly adults. Save them. Do not be the stupid parent who nonchalantly allows their sick child to run around touching everything and everyone like they aren't harboring a virus. 

Now that that has been said, something should also be said about their hygiene. I am not an expert but having seen how children can be so neglectful of their health and that the parents do not seem to instill the basic principal of washing their hands after using a bathroom or being some place public, I can ensure you that the level of which they take care of themselves can be compared to an animal. It is the parent's and teacher's job to create the urgency of washing their hands FREQUENTLY, to not put their hands on others or others belongings. To use a god damn tissue instead of their hands, sleeves or other objects that can be touched by others. 

Make sure they take showers often and actually wash themselves with soap rather than playing in dirty water for 10 minutes. Clip your child's nails and dissenfect their toys and your home whenever possible, especially when you see them wipe their nose on their hands and then proceed to play with their action figures and touch your doorknobs.

I say this out of frustration for two reasons: 1) with a toddler at home, I try to keep a germ free home as much as possible. Ever take care of a toddler who is sick and cannot tell you what hurts or what they need? Yeah, it's heartbreaking. 2) pregnant women cannot take medication the way everyone else can. This makes being sick torturous, especially if they have children to take care of at home like myself.

So in conclusion: take care of your children. Be cautiously aware of germs and make sure you teach them good hygiene practices young! The end :)