Defining 'Sick'

By Rebeldad Brian Reid

Last Thursday, I was getting ready to bundle the little one up when she started coughing a little bit. Nothing too dramatic, kind of a low-grade hairball-esque hacking. Then she threw up. It wasn't much -- less than a tablespoon. Fifteen minutes later, she let loose with another micro-barf. I immediately scrapped the day-care plan and started preparing to hunker down for the day. I decided she was clearly Sick, with a capital "S."

Naturally, she was fine after that. She was in great spirits. There was no more heaving.

I struggle with how to determine how sick is too sick. Some things, including vomit, are beyond debate. The stomach flu is too much of a disaster to subject anyone to the risk. Ditto high fevers. But cold season is still upon us, which leaves the whole lot of gray area of coughing, sneezing and green gook in the nose. I figure if the kids aren't slowed down, far be it from me to sideline them.

Lately, it's getting trickier. My oldest is able to communicate non-specific symptoms with great precision now, and I get the occasional reports of headaches and stomachaches and the like. On the one hand, I come from a not-always-helpful tradition of sucking it up and pushing through minor ailments (days of high school missed due to illness=0). On the flip side, I want my kids to be taken seriously when they advocate for their health.

This must get even more difficult as children get older: At what point do you, as a parent, stop deciding what should and shouldn't require medical attention? When does a 9-year-old with nausea (and a quiz that morning) get a pass? Who decides -- kid or parent -- when a 13-year-old's acne is bad enough to see a dermatologist? Can a 15-year-old be trusted to tell if his ankle deserves a workup by an orthoped?

Since my kids are still at the young end of things, I'm particularly interested in the grizzled veterans: What kind of health decisions can you trust your kids with?

Brian Reid writes about parenting and work-family balance. You can read his blog at rebeldad.com.

By Brian Reid |  February 14, 2008; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Childcare
Previous: Beer for Teens? | Next: Telling the Boss

Name:

Comments: