For the Love of God, Keep Your Sick Kid at Home!

I just cannot wrap by brain around why and/or how some parents think it's okay to take their sick kids out and risk infecting any number of other children that they may come into contact with. Is it really THAT important for the parents to dine out, have coffee, etc.?

I understand if your child is ill and you need to run to the store or pharmacy to pick up some Pedialyte or Tylenol. I know that sometimes you just don't have anyone to stay at home while you run out to grab something that is pretty pertinent to the situation at hand.....but a sick kid in a restaurant? Come on.

My husband and I frequent a local restaurant that is wonderfully kid friendly. We take our toddler son there and he loves it since there is an entire corner of the restaurant that has toys, a train table, etc., the food is good, and the waitstaff extremely tolerant of little ones being underfoot. We have had nothing but great experiences at the place, so we make it a weekly treat to have lunch there.

This past week we went for our weekly family lunch and in the middle of our meal, our son decided that he wanted to go play with the other kids at the train table. We let him out of the highchair and he was off. A few seconds later I notice my husband is cringing. There is another little boy there with snot dripping all the way down to his chin and onto the toys. And this wasn't your garden variety, clear allergy snot, it was purulent and yellow.

My husband and I leapt out of our seats and grabbed our son before any more damage could be done (aka he grabs a snot covered toy and sticks it in his mouth). As we did this, the boy's mother walks over and asks, "Is Billy being nice?". WTF?! Yes, he's being perfectly nice and so is the snot that is covering and caressing every Thomas the Tank Engine figurine in the play area. For the love of God!

Could this woman NOT stay home and take care of her obviously pestilent child? Was it absolutely necessary for her to drag his ill behind out so that she could eat a burger and fries? I just cannot and perhaps will never understand this level of self centeredness....why on earth would you a) not let your sick kid stay at home and rest as he should and b) why would you want and not care if your kid gets a bunch of other children sick?

When my son gets a little cold, he stays home. Playdates are cancelled, and I find no reason to take him out so that I can selfishly stuff my face with food or whatever. I am not some Wunderkind, I am just a mother with scruples, and yes I expect other parents to behave the same way.

Not too long ago my entire household became violently ill with a stomach bug after going to a play area. A few weeks later my friend's family also got this nasty bug after taking their litle girl to an indoor playpark. And this type of stomach bug is transmitted from one infected child touching fecal matter and then touching another child. Honestly, not only are some parents taking their sick kids out to play and eat...but then are also not washing their hands after they poop. What is this?

So, PLEASE, for the love of all things good....keep your sick kids at home. If you really need to eat something that you don't have at home, order in a pizza. And if you still must go out to dine or socialize then wash your kids hands and wipe their noses. Not too much to ask is it?