Does your son typically complain of a stomachache on spelling test Fridays? Or do notice that your daughter usually begins hacking up a lung on the Monday following a long weekend spent partying with friends?
Unless a child has the obvious symptoms of a bad flu-—high temp, chills, projectile vomiting—-then parents are often left to use their own instincts to weed out the fakers from the truly feverish.
In some cases it can be a tricky task. My own daughter has been sick with a bad cold for nearly two weeks. However, this is a child who is so deathly afraid of being administered oral medication (she will make herself throw up before the spoon even touches her lips) that she will deny feeling sick at all. After watching her undergo painful rounds of shots to cure her last ear infection (the doctor suggested going this route after she forcibly threw up four doses of oral antibiotics) I started experimenting with recipes to disguise any and all medications so she can go back to taking oral doses of some types of prescriptions.
This tactic works now because she is 4 years old. It’ll be interesting to see what transpires in the next few years when she learns that being sick can translate into a school-free day. She’s already learned that when she is sick mommy will spend countless hours rubbing her back and reading her books. (Of course, this doesn’t negate the whole medicine drama, which overrides any comfort she may get from my undivided attention.)
Most parents will tell you that they know their child better than anyone and can sniff out a feigned sore throat a mile away. However, if you struggle with making the right call on whether you should keep your child home or send him to school consider consulting with the professionals or visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website. The site features a list of signs indicating when a child should be kept home, including fever (temperature above 100.4 Fahrenheit), vomiting, diarrhea, persistent pain or a bad, wet cough. It also includes interesting notes on how parents should be sensitive to other causes of pain and discomfort such as anxiety, depression, or other issues.
What tactics do you use to determine if your child is faking an illness?
Michele Cheplic writes about red-hot celebrities in POP CULTURE, fiery topics in PARENTS, sizzling recipes in FOOD, calorie burning exercises in FITNESS, and hot new kid-friendly crafts in FUN. Check out all of her articles here.
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