If my youngest three have the flu should I keep the older ones home from a church event tonight?

[indigomama]

My youngest three have fevers, body aches, headaches, bad coughs,etc, which I am thinking is the flu. My oldest two have no symptoms and want to attend a church even tonight, but I'm not sure if they should go. I wouldn't want them to turn up sick tomorrow or the next day and have exposed all the people at Awanas to the flu. What do you think?

[Guest inoubliable]

I'd keep them home.

[Giraffe]

I'd keep everyone home.

[regentrude]

Flu is contagious before symptoms show up. Keep them home.

[indigomama]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. They will be so bummed, they really try so hard with their memory work and love going, but at the same time, I would feel so bad if we passed along this awful flu.

 

It's also a little hard for them to understand because right now they aren't sick.

[StartingOver]

Keep them home.

[Aelwydd]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. They will be so bummed, they really try so hard with their memory work and love going, but at the same time, I would feel so bad if we passed along this awful flu.

 

It's also a little hard for them to understand because right now they aren't sick.

 

Unless they will wear a mask 100% of the time, and keep a greater than 6 foot space (the distance the flu virus may be spread), they should stay home. They may carry the virus and never even become symptomatic. When dealing with infectious disease, the only way to halt spread is isolation of all sick and those who've been exposed.

[mommy5]

Stay home! We all had Influenza A at Christmas and one by one (one to two days apart) each of us came down with it ... except my husband who thought he wasn't going to get it. He went to a Christmas party and the next morning at 4am woke up with a high fever and chills. It hits so fast and so hard - I wouldn't chance it.

[Starr]

You can keep them home for the next couple of weeks but I'll assure you no one else will be doing this. They are more likely to get the flu at Awana than give it. I'm sorry your kids are sick. :grouphug:

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

Agreed, I would keep them home.

[indigomama]

You can keep them home for the next couple of weeks but I'll assure you no one else will be doing this. They are more likely to get the flu at Awana than give it. I'm sorry your kids are sick. :grouphug:

 

 

Yes, I have a very strong suspicion, DD who got it first, got it from someone in her Sunday School class. Thank you for the hugs, having small children sick is just the worst. They can't tell me exactly what is wrong so I feel like I am just treating the symptoms I can see and that is not enough. Hoping this passes quickly.

[speedmom4]

A couple of years ago two of my children had the flu and I chose to not let my younger dd attend her best friend's birthday party. She was so upset with me for not allowing her to go but the next morning she woke up with fever, body aches, and terrible coughing. I'm so glad I kept her home. She understood the next day. It's hard to disappoint our children!!

 

((Hugs))

 

Elise in NC

[besroma]

I would keep everyone home.

[Catwoman]

Another vote to keep them home.

 

Just because other people are inconsiderate enough to send their kids to activities when they are sick, doesn't mean we should all follow their example. I hate it when people show up at an event with a few of their kids, and then start talking about how their other kids are at home with their dh because they have high fevers and have been vomiting all day long. :glare:

[freeindeed]

I voted to keep everyone at home. Now, I will confess to being, as my ds9 describes me, a "germaphobe freak." That being said, however, I am sure that it's best to keep anyone who's been exposed to flu at home.

[KrissiK]

Keep them home.

[AimeeM]

Please keep them home. As someone with one child who has a weakened immune system and another who is a young infant, I would be forever grateful. Lol.

 

On that note - I understand. My daughter was so disappointed last week when I had to keep her home from ballet because the rest of the house had some sort of "vomiting virus" (vomiting, aches, fever). I'm sorry everyone is sick :(

[Janie Grace]

 

 

Just because other people are inconsiderate enough to send their kids to activities when they are sick, doesn't mean we should all follow their example. I hate it when people show up at an event with a few of their kids, and then start talking about how their other kids are at home with their dh because they have high fevers and have been vomiting all day long. :glare:

 

For REAL! Ugh... don't people know anything about germs and illness?! I have one friend who does this frequently. It is all I can do to smile sympathetically and look concerned, while my eyes dart around trying to make sure her toddler doesn't kiss mine.

[redsquirrel]

The sniffles are one thing. Heck, it's winter and colds happen. But fever, aches, vomiting keep them home.

[chiguirre]

I follow GW's school's guidelines. If you're symptomatic, you stay home. If not, you go. Public schools don't accept "their sibling is sick" as an excused absence so you can be sure there will be other kids there who may or may not come down with the flu. This isn't ideal as a public health policy, but if kids have to attend school, they've already been exposed.

[AngieW in Texas]

Illnesses rarely hit multiple people in my house, so I would let them go.

 

My 14yo is on the recovery side of the flu and so far nobody else has gotten it. She started feeling bad on Friday morning and had 105 fever Saturday morning. She has her last dose of Tamiflu today.

[linders]

Pretty please, keep them home. You are typically contagious 24 hours before you have symptoms, and in all likelihood, one of the olders will get it soon.

[Catwoman]

I follow GW's school's guidelines. If you're symptomatic, you stay home. If not, you go. Public schools don't accept "their sibling is sick" as an excused absence so you can be sure there will be other kids there who may or may not come down with the flu. This isn't ideal as a public health policy, but if kids have to attend school, they've already been exposed.

 

 

But if we're homeschoolers, why should those guidelines apply to us? :confused:

 

As homeschoolers, we have the freedom to be sensitive and courteous to others by not knowingly exposing our kids' friends and hs groupmates when we know that some of our family members are ill.

 

Is it inconvenient sometimes? Sure it is. But I'd rather suffer a bit of inconvenience than know that our presence at an activity might very well make a lot of people sick, just because I was too selfish to keep my kid at home.

[chiguirre]

But if we're homeschoolers, why should those guidelines apply to us? :confused:

 

As homeschoolers, we have the freedom to be sensitive and courteous to others by not knowingly exposing our kids' friends and hs groupmates when we know that some of our family members are ill.

 

Is it inconvenient sometimes? Sure it is. But I'd rather suffer a bit of inconvenience than know that our presence at an activity might very well make a lot of people sick, just because I was too selfish to keep my kid at home.

 

I treat extracurricular activities as commitments. We don't miss them unless it's an "excusable absence". Most kids do go to school and do follow these guidelines so they've already been exposed if there's flu going around. It also inconveniences other people when kids miss their extracurricular activities because the team or band or choir will have less practice time together. All of the extracurriculars we attend emphasize the need to attend unless you're sick in their welcome letter. I've never gotten a "please keep your whole family home if anyone is sick" policy statement from any extracurricular activity, but ymmv.

[indigomama]

We did stay home because it was the flu and so many had it here at the house. However, we are a family of seven, if we all stayed home because one person in our family was sick, we would be home a lot this winter. We've had two rounds if colds and this is the second round of flu, a month ago, I was the only one to come down with it.

[catz]

I treat extracurricular activities as commitments. We don't miss them unless it's an "excusable absence". Most kids do go to school and do follow these guidelines so they've already been exposed if there's flu going around. It also inconveniences other people when kids miss their extracurricular activities because the team or band or choir will have less practice time together. All of the extracurriculars we attend emphasize the need to attend unless you're sick in their welcome letter. I've never gotten a "please keep your whole family home if anyone is sick" policy statement from any extracurricular activity, but ymmv.

 

 

Honestly, once my kids got to school age, this is how we started to operate for paid activities too. I very methodically taught them to wash their hands before and after an activity, be extra cognizant of personal space, etc. This is harder to do with kids younger than 5 or 6, and we did typically quarantine ourselves when the kids were younger. We do cancel playdates or visits in anyone's home.

 

My kids do a number of activities that are expensive and performance participation, etc is dependant on attendance. When my son does theater, kids 10+ show up mildly ill all the time. Heck, my husband has to be sick as a dog not to go to work. He has a door on his office and he wouldn't get a moment's peace here.

 

We've had the real flu here 3X and never has all 4 of us gotten it. Once my dd had confirmed influenza B and was sick for 8+ days. None of were vx that year, and she was the only one who had it.

[melissamomof5]

We just went through this. My husband came down sick on a Thursday, toddler Friday...we chose to keep girls home from AWANA Sunday night, in case. Monday morning dd3 got sick. Tuesday we kept dd2 home from violin lesson, in case. She and her other sister got sick the next day. They each would have been contagious and potentially infected others if they'd went to AWANA & lessons.

 

I am so glad we kept them home. Now everyone is mended, but not it took a couple weeks of going nowhere.

[Amy in NH]

The flu is most contagious for a few days before symptoms show, and a few days after. So even if they don't have symptoms yet, they could be very contagious. I wouldn't risk spreading it.