To not make time off school (because DD is slightly peaky) fun?

[HeathcliffMoorland]

DD1 is not particularly sick, but has a sniffle, and because I'd rather be safe than sorry and it was my day off work, I decided to keep her home today.

I have friends with slightly older kids who have done similar, but went to great lengths to entertain/treat the child. Now they report suspected sickie-pulling/faking illness from time to time and believe this may be due to the nature of the days off.

Tempted as I was to leave the telly on all day and give her lemonade, I resisted. (Of course, this would have all panned out differently had she really been poorly.) My logic was that if I make days off seem really appealing, particularly unnecessary ones, she may cop on and try for more.

Am I a mean mummy? Was I completely irrational and suspicious to be, well, a bit boring today (and yes, I do realise that this coupled with the housework thread makes me look like a complete spoilsport!)?

Not at all. I did the same with DD1 (15) only yesterday when she too cried off school with a cold.

She was back in the classroom with her friends this morning, no problems! :o

My mum said she once read that only children who you think are faking it need to be kept in bed. Advice that she followed. Even now I would not going out for in the everning if I've been off sick from work even if feeling better by then. So I think it has stuck with me.

YANBU. Both of mine (16 & 13) know that if they are off school 'sick' that means on the sofa with a duvet or in bed.

They get a bottle of water to keep hydrated and some limited TV. No laptop/computer games/DS, etc.

I must make it really boring because I can't remember the last time they had time off.

In fact thinking about it I do - the last time DD2 was too ill to go to school she asked me to take her in at lunch time because it was too boring at home

My mum used to make us stay in bed all day with only dry toast and water to drink, no tv and no radio when we were ill. Unsurprisingly we never threw a sickie!

Yep - an age old ploy which never fails. Keep 'em bored and they won't pull sickies.
Think I could count on one hand the number of times DD and DS were off school.
My Mum only let us stay off if ours legs were broken and hanging by a thread.

If you are sick, then you stay in bed with no tv or treats. Reading a book is allowed.

That is my rule and both DC rarely have a day off school. If they do, then they are really sick and want to stay in bed.

Mean bunch! A bit of compassion and tlc for your child isn't too much to ask for is it?

Surely if you were unwell you might like something palatable to drink?

oh, no. if they are ill, they are allowed to drink water. and calpol.

but i have to say mine would have been at school if they were only a bit sniffly lol. they have to have actual symptoms to get the day off.

if i'm unwell, i still have to get up, make b'fast, do the school run, go to work, collect them and do the after-school activities run, cook dinner, bath everyone, give them milk, and tuck them in. and then make packed lunches and do the laundry, the ironing, sew on the cub badges, get the swimming bags ready...

i need gin by that point (palatable or not), and i'm not giving the kids gin just because they've got a sniffle.

YANBU. DD was off last week with a really nasty bug and was allowed to lie on the sofa most of the day waching films and being read to.

DS2 however was borderline yesterday; he would have been sent in if the school isn't so stict about it, but I felt he was faking it a bit, so he got to stay in bed all day with reading the only option for entertainment and when he finally got up (when he would have been due in from school) he had to do the homework he was "too sick to do" the night before. He went in cheerfully today

Same here. If sick, then bed with drinks and nourishing chicken soup. Also soothing mummy hand across brow.

If not, of to school with ye!

This used to backfire with me majorly, i used to be quite content to pull a sickie and stay in bed all day reading books and napping. (still could now tbh)
I remember being really poorly once and getting back into bed in the morning and not waking up for 4 days, i had flu and i literally woke up for sips of water (i dont remember that)
I don't remember the several of Dr's coming in and poking me either!

To elaborate, she has mild asthma and isn't great with the inhaler yet. She wasn't wheezy, but as she often wheezes with a cold I decided I'd be careful.

My ds is off today (same as yours Heath) he has asthma and a cold which makes symptoms worse. I think he's had too much ventolin now though as he hasn't stopped talking rapidly for the last half an hour!