To absolutelu hate being a parent today.....

[slovenlydotcom]

dd is not well - she is due to play in the Yr 3/4 mixed football tournament today, yesterday I kept her off and she spent all day telling me how well she was and that she would be ok today.

This morning she had a husky voice, is clearly bunged up and coughing. I had to tell her she was not going to school - we had a heated discussion for an hour until she realised that I would not change my mind. Her distress is hard to bear, she is convinced she is letting the team, the head and the WHOLE SCHOOL down. Also on a personal level, she played last year and it is the only time she was picked for a school team so its a biggie for her.

I am off work poorly today and have a heartbroken poorly child, who insisted I tell the head that it was MY DECISION and she thought I had made a wrong decision

You are doing the right thing. My DD was once picked to run for the school - she was unwell but she wanted to do it. I let her and as we were all waiting for the runners, I heard someone saying that there is a girl being violently sick back there. I felt awful.

Poor kid though - disappointments do hurt. She sounds very motivated. Hope she is better and tell her from a random stranger that it is not her fault that she cannot play.

What time is the tournament? Is there any way you could take her in just for the tournament? I do think that ill children should be at home but this is something she will probably always remember and I can just imagine how heartbroken I would have been at that age to miss it and have to go back to school the next day or whenever and hear everyone talk about it. If there's anyway you can dose her up on calpol or whatever and take her to just the tournament then I would - though of course you know her best so I understand if you think she's too ill for that.

Ds2 was in a mixed tournament yesterday and had a cold. I gave him 2 ibuprofen sachets and he managed really well. Your dd's may be a lot worse though? Good idea about taking her in just for the game. I think if she had flu she wouldn't want to get out of bed?

If she's ill she should be off school anyway, tournament or no tournament.

"Husky voice, bunged up and coughing" doesn't sound that ill to me?! If she wanted to play I would give her calpol and let her. Maybe this is why my kids have great attendance. My children don't stay at home with a cold. Sickness, diarhea, flu - yes but not for a cold.

No mine don't either but would keep them off if serious. I don't think teachers expect children with colds to stay off tbh? At least one told me that but it was some years back.

If she was well enough to want to go then I expect she is well enough to be there.

If she was that ill, I'm sure she would have been glad to stay at home.

If had just been the runny nose I would have let her go, but the sore throat and cough made the decision for me, she accepts now that she should be at home bless her.

Thanks punk, I will

Bluebell 99 - my son has had a 100% attendance record for the last three years and dd has missed about 4 days in 4 years so I do not make a habit of keeping them off unnecessarily.

To me if they are ill enough to require Calpol then they should not be going to school

and virginia I am not sure a 9 year old is the best judge! As I say, she now accepts she is not well enough

Good for you, slovenly - just been on another thread on a similar subject and it's clear people who keep their DCs off school when they're ill are in the minority.
And breathe.

"but not for a cold."

Perhaps this is why they keep going round ad infibloodynitum, then!