Parenting Classes Should Be Mandatory

I was almost brought to tears today...

I logged out because I wasn't comfortable posting this under my regular account.

Today a sibling pair who were home yesterday came in. We could immediately tell they both were sick - they had weak, watery eyes, breathing through the mouth and uncoordinated. We felt the youngest and took his temp - sure enough a fever. We checked the other child - the themometer registered no fever, but she still felt hot. She look horrible, she was breathless and stumbling. Then we noticed how her heart was racing.

They'd been drugged and sent to daycare. The older child said the toddler had been given medicine too. We don't know what or how much they were given, but it was enough to cause an elevated heart rate. Of course the parent didn't admit giving them anything, the child volunteered this info, but she couldn't tell us what it was. It was scary because if she'd needed to go the hospital, God forbid, we wouldn't even know what to tell them.

I understand that jobs are really important these days, but you can't just stuff your small children full of random medicine and send them to daycare. What these parent's (and my director) don't understand is that Tylenol and other OTC meds don't fix whatever's wrong, it just masks the symptoms. It doesn't stop it from being contagious and it stops you from being able to tell how bad it is because the fever's been covered up.

This is not the first time this family's done this, either. Makes me sad.

[Kaddidle Care]

Fever will cause an elevated heart rate so I wouldn't necessarily assume it was the OTC medicine.

We've had them come in clearly sick but we can't send them home until they register a fever so we just keep checking.

It's up to the Director to do her job and set them straight. She needs to protect the other Daycare children from illness as well as her staff.

If you are concerned about the children's health and well being, I would call the Department of Social Services immediately. DO NOT feel bad about it, do what you think is best for the kids!!!!!