There has been a lot of talk in the social media world bashing irresponsible parents that don’t vaccinate their kids – which is a separate and massive debate in and of itself…one in which I’m not entirely sure which side of the fence I want to topple onto…but let’s talk about the REAL issue at hand – the real problem is the parents that knowingly and willingly expose our babies to their children’s illnesses. I get it. It sucks having a sick kid. It sucks missing out on things in life. Perhaps you were last picked for dodgeball and have some deep-rooted issues of abandonment and neglect…but seriously. I see you, and I judge you. I try not to judge when it comes to parenting since it’s all a giant crap shoot and we are all just trying to figure it out as we go; hoping to make the choices least likely to result in our kids talking about us to a therapist when they are 30…but this, this I judge. I see you with your sick kid and you aren’t fooling anyone. That rash on your kids face – that is hand foot and mouth disease, not a sunburn or a sudden bout of eczema and you know it. That cough isn’t just a tickle or allergies – your kid CLEARLY has an upper respiratory infection. And don’t get me started on the nasty ass runny nose your kid is sporting…and NO, I do not for one second believe that the green and yellow slime dripping from your otherwise adorable child’s face is just teething – your child is like 4 years old and the teething excuse expired several years ago, find a new one. I see you and your sick kid EVERYWHERE. You can’t bear to miss a week of music class. You really HAD to practice your kid’s head stand at gym class today. You couldn’t cope without your two hours on the elliptical at the gym, so why not pop the sick little sucker in the gym day care. Library storytime…why that’s the perfect place for a really sick kid. Or better yet, daycare…they will know what to do, and the other kids won’t catch it and spread it around for months and months. Do you think the other parents really won’t notice your obviously sick child? Do you just not care? Do you honestly think the most appropriate place for your sick kid is out and about socializing? I mean when I’m really sick I’m always thinking to myself, man I wish I could run around and play. I most definitely don’t think, ugh, I feel like crap I want to lay low, cuddle up and get some rest. Oh and I also love the, ‘oh, he/she isn’t contagious’…really?! Name one childhood illness, cold, virus, flu, croup, stomach bug that isn’t insanely contagious?!
As I sit here struggling to nurse my almost 9 month old who has been sick pretty much since Christmas, I blame you. At first I had mommy guilt and blamed myself for toting Avery to the gym childcare so I could workout and to various activities to socialize with other kids, bang on drums, eat books, etc. I thought, man, I shouldn’t have exposed him to all those germs…and then I thought to myself F that. It’s not my fault other parents are thoughtless jerks! And on that note, I’m a little annoyed that no one upholds the no sick children rule. Everywhere has it – don’t bring your kid if they are sick, runny nose, fever, cough, yada yada. Have we not figured out that our society is NOT one to self regulate. People blatantly ignore no smoking signs, speed limits are used as minimum driving speed requirements, good luck finding a driver at a stop sign/light/sitting in traffic that isn’t texting/checking email/googling…so why would we heed the no fever, runny nose, sick kid sign? I would jump with joy if I took Avery to a childcare drop-off, music class, gym class, etc. that actually turned sick kids away instead of just wiping their noses and letting them cough, sneeze and drip snot all over the place. I wish for the day I actually see someone say nope, sorry “type A, can’t forego your precious plans for a sick kid” parent, but little Johnny can’t come in today he’s CLEARLY sick. It would fill me with unadulterated happiness. It is like when you wish for an a-hole driver to get pulled over…I wish for the day I see a parent schooled for bringing their sick kid out around other kids.
On a serious note, there is a horrible outbreak of measles swinging its way around Los Angeles, which is ridiculous because it’s not the 1800s, but anyways…I googled it so I could know what to watch for to avoid since Avery is too young to be vaccinated against it and there is a 90% chance that if an unvaccinated kid encounters someone with measles they will get it…90%!!!!! That means if you bring your kid around others with a bad cold (which is what measles appears as before the scarlet letter of a rash appears – thank you God for giving some diseases a hideously obvious rash…why didn’t you do that for all of em?) You are basically saying eh…who cares if I expose unvaccinated little babies to something that could potentially kill them or change the course of their lives…at least I got to sing pop goes the f’ing weasel and practice my tambourine skills. Look, I get that sometimes you honestly don’t know…like when your kid is a little more tired than usual and then BAM later that day super sick…I’m not talking about those parents and those situations. I agree that it does happen, where you honestly didn’t know your baby was coming down with something. I’m talking about the parents that KNOW their kid is sick and either just pretend like it isn’t happening, or willingly ignore what is best for their child. Maybe kids wouldn’t get sick nearly as much if those parents were a little more responsible and thought of what is best for their sick child and how exposing other kids could be potentially dangerous. Not every kid handles the same cold the same way, some have complications. I could never willingly expose another child to an illness. I know what it’s like to cuddle a helpless sick little baby. It’s exhausting, heart breaking, scary and just plain miserable and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone…so why do so many moms just not care? I honestly don’t get it. Are you really that selfish? Do you honestly think that your sick child is better out and about carrying on like they don’t need rest? Do you just not care? Are you so tied to your schedule or so jealous of other people that you can’t possibly miss out on a couple of days of activity? Please, someone, anyone explain it to me…cause I would like to have a better reason than you are just a horrible, selfish person.
