I am going to admit it...I'm that mom.
I am the mom whose child desperately doesn't want to go to school, yet sends him crying. I am that mom, because I was that child.
To the child in reference, he does have chronic migraine headaches, but he went the entire summer without one episode, so I see a pattern of school equals headaches. In his defense, he didn't look like he felt that well, but I know for a fact that he wasn't "sick" as in contagious, so off to school he went. I received two calls from the school nurse, but at school he stayed. Why am I that mom? Because I was that child.
For a little while I had being "sick" down to an art. When I was eight and nine years old I was able to be sent home frequently with "fever", because I figured out how to get my temperature up. To my defense, there was abuse happening in the school, which made school a horrible experience for me. For quite a while my mom would leave work and come pick me up. But then, she became that mom. The mom that basically told me to suck it up.
Now, let me say, if my child has fever, a virus, is really ill, he or she will stay home from school. But other than that, to school they go. Today, I felt a bit guilty. For one, it was raining so it was the first day I actually dropped my children off in the car rider line and didn't walk them to the drop off point. So I basically pushed the child in reference out of the vehicle as he was crying, and I left his brother to help him get inside and to class. Then when the nurse called the first time and assured me that he had no fever but a headache, I told her to just give him some ibuprofen and he can stay at school. The second time the nurse called, I talked to my child and promised him a cupcake if he made it through the day. After school, as my children were walking out the son with the headache tripped and fell. Then when we got home, I made him do his homework...after the promised cupcake. Then I made him go to football practice, but I didn't make him get on the field and practice. I felt a bit guilty because this is our first year at a new school and I don't want to be the calloused mom who leaves their children at school not feeling well. This is also our first year of football, But at the same time, there is a matter of importance of education; and we believe that if you sign up, you show up!
I know I am not the only mom out there who has this same mindset. If you are a mom who is like this, let me know! Give me your thoughts!
