To have given my 6 year a day off

[ForMashGetSmash]

because she is tired? She woke up with dark circles under her eyes...she just seemed so droopy, not like herself at all. Her school works them very hard (private and a bit too academic really) She had a bit of a temp too.

She is happy at school, her teacher says she works very hard and is always cheerful...we don't take lots of days off...but I jut told my sister I had let her stay off because she was so tired and she said "Oh God you're such a pushover!"

I dont over protect her....I push her to do her best but now I am thinking maybe I should have just sent her.

She isn't leaping around or anything...she's sititng and reading quietly and usually she is raring to go to school in the morning...the earlier the better! So AIBU?

You haven't really given her a "day off" in terms of a skiving day. It sounds as if she is fighting off some type of virus. Imo a rest at home if she has a temp will be helpful to her. It will avoid her spreading potential illness round the school.

If you needed to tell your sister why didn't you just say that your daughter seems unwell and has a temperature?

If it was tiredness only, I think sending her to school and then bed early tonight would work better - there's a risk if she got up late today, will rest all day that she will find it hard to get to sleep again tonight....and you'll be back at square one again tommorrow morning.

...but if she has a raised temperature then she shouldn't be at school anyway.

forget your sister. You know your dc

Not unreasonable at all. You're the best judge of whether she's well enough to be at school - don't beat yourself up about it, just curl up on the sofa with her and enjoy a duvet day!

well I did Lollipop..and she said "Oh I send mine in unless they're falling over or throwing up"

In her mind a day off to PREVENT this happening is silly...since it might ot happen at all.

It was my thought that something was brewing...and when her Dad (away working) Skyped us at 7.00am he said she looked like she had something coming on....feel better now thanks!

Mine have had days off for a variety of reasons. Often just a cuddle day on the sofa. So far it shows no sign of compromising their future careers...

Lol don'tdisstheteens...exactly! DD is just 6!

If she's anything like my 6yo dd (who loves school too) there must be something up if she's happy to stay at home, so I think you've done the right thing! She can soon make up a day's workload!

If more parents would do this at the start of a potential illness, think how many children would avoid getting ill!
Bless her, hope she's ok. :)

Just to offer the other side to warn you though- as a kid my mum would let me have the occasional tired day off (my dad would fume!) and as an adult I have pulled more than my fair share of duvet days just because I used to get away with it as a youngster. So if its a genuine one off but watch for trying it on!

That may just be me though!

As her mum you are the best judge - if it doesn't become a habit, give the kid (and yourself!) a break - at 6 if child wants to be at home but normally likes going into school there is a reason (exhausted, fed up, having an off day, virus looming etc etc)- don't think any child has probably been damned to the dole queue for eternity or laziness in perpetuity for one special sneaky day off school cuddling up to mum at age 6!!

Agree with you actually Thandeka. A completely unscientific poll amongst friends and former colleagues showed that skivving habits from childhood evolved into the same in adults. It caused rows in one office I worked in with regular Mondayitis afflicting certain colleagues.

I would never send my daughter to school if she had a temperature as it usually means she is brewing something. That, coupled with the dark circles under the eyes sounds like you made the right decision. DD's school won't administer Calpol, and when DD temperature isn't checked it rockets out of control and she gets the shakes.

Haven't got DC yet, but I agree with those that say sometimes one child having one day off early on can help to avoid several children having 3 days off next week as they will all get it.

We get this at work, and sometimes, I really want to yell at the martyrs who drag themselves in when they're really ill, and this results in 3 people being off ill the following week.

As Thankeda says though, should be a genuine one-off with a view to avoiding coming down with something, rather than 'I'm a bit sleepy today I think I'll stay home'.

D

I was thinking of keeping ds at home this morning, just because he didn't look right iyswim. Then he put his back out, so the decision was taken out of my hands, the poor lad can't even get off the bed. But am relieved that it happened at home and not in assembly. But then I could see it coming.

I guess maybe the key is to make it as unfun as possible so good for genuine illness but not for skiving. E.g. a day in bed catching up with sleep rather than in front of the telly eating chocolate!

Hmm. I have been known to get started on the school run and end up taking my kids to the beach instead. My sixteen year old still talks about those days as some of the best ever. I really believe that children age six might benefit more from a cuddle day (and chocolate) than a day in school sometimes.

She was fine for a while, then at midday she got bad stomach cramps....that went on for an hour but now they've "sort of gone but then they come back small" as she says....so I am glad she's been like that at home and not at school!

she's lying down on the sofa with a bowl of pretzels and Horrd Henry!

Poor mite - but at least she's at home feeling rough and not at school. Hope she's feeling better soon!

yanbu, i did the same with my 6 year old DD a couple of weeks before half term.

My mum used to give me the occasional day off when i was little, for varied reasons and I remember every single one with fondness.

As an adult, I abhor a skiver and will not accept laziness. I've never pulled a sicky at work and won't tolerate sickies being pulled even after work nights out. If you can't handle a day in work after a night out, don't go out.

A bit of indulgence in childhood doesn't always equal the child turning into a skiver.

YANBU. She's only six and school is big and can be very tiring. I don't think it will turn her into a skiver I think it means you have used your judgement wisely and in turn she will trust you when she is bigger. My DD is 11 and just started secondary. Longer journey, big changes, completely overwhelming. I didn't tell her but had made up my mind that if she got exhausted before 1/2 term, she could have a day off. She didn't need in the event but good for you.

Just realised it's Mash. Good luck - follow your judgement - never seen a posting anything short of good sense from you.

I allow my children one tired day per term. My 13yr old had one this week; he was exhausted and said he had a sore throat, he had his day off, but knows that he will have to really be at death's door before he has another one.

This is good, it teaches them to pace themselves and to know their own physical limits. Fwiw, I rarely have a day off work and expect very high standards from my children at school (because they are able to achieve them, not because I am a bully!!

I don't think a day on the sofa, being a little bit poorly, aged 6 will develop into any kind of long-term skiving issue!!