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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be very cross that school's incompetence may have made DS ill?

331 replies

user1498726699 · 29/06/2017 10:56

DS's year had a mini sports day on Tuesday. Parents were invited to spectate in the afternoon so DH and I went along. I noticed that drinks were not brought outside for DC (which has happened before so I had brought one with me) so tried to get DS to drink the bottle of water I brought but he was worried he would get told off so only took a few sips. This was a 2 hour event with no breaks. It wasn't hot but very overcast and sweaty. DS's hair was soaking. I went to the shop and left DH to wait for DS to come out afterwards.

On the way home with DH, DS said that noise/talking was annoying him as his brain hurt. DH put it down to lots of jumping around, gave him a drink/snack and told DS to lay down for a rest. He took himself off to bed and conked out very uncharacteristically! I woke him later as I was worried and he was very upset that his 'brain was hurting' and his body wouldn't work. He was clammy, and I realised that he was probably dehydrated. He then told us that he had not had a chance to drink his breaktime drink as some of the DC were chosen to practice for the afternoon event so he had spent most of the morning running around too. I asked if they were offered water and he said no. The only drink they were offered was after the afternoon event just before hometime when they were told to have a drink after they got changed. So DS did almost 4 hours of quite vigorous exercise with only his breakfast juice at home, a small cup of water at lunchtime, and a few gulps of water from the bottle I took with me.

DCs are only 6/7. Surely it is irresponsible of the school to not make sure small DC are hydrated during sports events in June?

I had to spend Tuesday night trying to get Dioralyte down DS (big battle as he hates it) and he had a high temp for most of yesterday with headache and lethargy so was off school. He is recovered today and has gone to school with a note that consideration should be given to this at future sports events.

AIBU to think this could have been preventable?

OP posts:
GinIsIn · 29/06/2017 10:59

At 7, could he not just ask for a drink?

HipsterHunter · 29/06/2017 11:02

Did he drink at breakfast, beak time, lunch and after sport?

Original poster
user1498726699 · 29/06/2017 11:03

Well I suppose he could have yes but at that age they are likely to forget and they didn't have any drinks available outside anyway!

OP posts:
kissmethere · 29/06/2017 11:04

I don't know why but I've seen this in primary schools before. Especially on trips out and they've haven't been allowed to bring water with them.
Address it with the school. Also yes ds has to ask more as I get the impression that sometimes they're trying to cram so much into a day they don't take time to hydrate.

UserX · 29/06/2017 11:05

Did you/DH make sure he had a big drink on the way home?

treaclesoda · 29/06/2017 11:06

On the one hand if he had a headache I'd agree he was maybe a bit dehydrated.

But when I look back, we definitely weren't allowed drinks when I was at school and I don't remember anyone thinking anything of it.

notanevilstepmother · 29/06/2017 11:07

How odd that he would think he was going to get told off for having a drink.

I don't think you are unreasonable to be cross, but I think you will get further if you can wait until you are calmer before you talk to the school.

I do think it needs to be raised with school, I'm not in favour of parents complaining about stuff all the time, but this is important.

Perhaps approach it that please can they be sure to remind him to drink when doing sport and running around in the hot weather.

Please also try to encourage him to take responsibility for this, tell him that he must have his drink at break time for his brain and body to work properly.

There is an article here about footballers you could read with him.

www.fourfourtwo.com/performance/training/eat-drink-and-sleep-a-footballer

CremeFresh · 29/06/2017 11:10

treacle we were the same . We had a water fountain but certainly no drinks in the classroom or at sports day.

JustMumNowNotMe · 29/06/2017 11:10

He's 7, not a baby! If he's thirsty he needs to speak up and ask for a drink.

And what's with the "I only let him have a few sips in case he got into trouble"?! Your a fully fledged grown up and his parent, why would you give a crap what the school think about you giving him a drink?! Confused

Steeley113 · 29/06/2017 11:10

I'd say it's more likely he had a virus as he had a high temp. At our school they have water bottles with them at all times, in fact lost primary schools do around here!

notanevilstepmother · 29/06/2017 11:10

Here is a picture for him

To be very cross that school's incompetence may have made DS ill?
notanevilstepmother · 29/06/2017 11:11

Try again

To be very cross that school's incompetence may have made DS ill?
Original poster
user1498726699 · 29/06/2017 11:12

He's actually still 6 and no JustMum that's not what I wrote at all.

OP posts:
notanevilstepmother · 29/06/2017 11:12

Why didn't it show before and now it does?!

StarryCorpulentCunt · 29/06/2017 11:13

Not on at all to not even have water available but equally at 7 he should be perfectly capable of asking for a drink.

Slightly off topic but why piss fart around trying to get him to drink dioralyte? It is basically salts, sugar and water. Big bottle of water or sports drink, handful of salted nuts or crisps and some sweets/coke/insert something sugary here, would do the same job.

MackerelOfFact · 29/06/2017 11:14

I hate to say it, but you are being a little bit PFB.

He fell asleep and felt tired after 4 hours of sports - that's hardly surprising really, is it?

It's normal to feel a bit headachey on a warm and humid day. No, it seems he didn't drink a lot of fluid, but food contains water as well - he wasn't going to go into multi-organ failure from not having water for 4 hours.

If he had plenty to drink on Tuesday night it's unlikely he would still have symptoms of dehydration on Wednesday, so maybe he has a virus or something?

Either way, I hope he's feeling better.

Orangetoffee · 29/06/2017 11:15

Why didn't you or your husband just ask a teacher about the drinks?

PookieDo · 29/06/2017 11:15

My DD got 'migraines' at primary school all the time. I wasn't sure why this kept happening until I smelt her wee on an off chance and it was really dark and smelly. I took her to the GP who said no infection but dehydration, obviously I was baffled as I am careful about this kind of thing but it happened after school in hot weather quite frequently (headaches, smelly wee) and it turned out that the kids were also prevented from drinking in class and the classrooms were mostly windows. i did make a fuss and things did improve

DixieNormas · 29/06/2017 11:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

notanevilstepmother · 29/06/2017 11:15

Justmum, I have an almost adult teenager DSD who never really gets thirsty. I have got her into the habit of drinking plenty now, but she doesn't seem to have the thirsty signal. I had to nag her and put drinks in front of her much older than 7 and I still check now at 17. Most teenagers need reminding to drink enough when they are busy.

notanevilstepmother · 29/06/2017 11:17

I don't think it's PFB, it's a basic health requirement and one that can so easily be met and should be met by adults looking after children.

Sirzy · 29/06/2017 11:20

So he had no drink at dinner time?

Does seem like your being a bit OTT

PookieDo · 29/06/2017 11:21

You know that many elderly people in hospital are dehydrated? I suspect it's also the case at schools.
Busy hectic schedules of carers and vulnerable adults and children are at risk of dehydration. Neither a small child or a bed bound adult are as capable of remembering to drink or being able to access drinks/recognise thirst and it is something that goes under the radar more than I think is true. I'm currently doing a project on this subject and dehydration is the main cause of UTI like symptoms and THEN over prescription of antibiotics and resistance....

lborgia · 29/06/2017 11:23

Sounds as if he got heatstroke, which absolutely can give you a fever, and def can occur even if he eventually drank something (although agree re: water , squash, crisps etc, much better for compliance in a sick child).

Yes, say something, yes, wait till you're feeling less unsettled by the whole thing.

Some children sweat more than others, some cope with humid/overcast/ etc etc better than others.

Good that he's fine, but I would be getting them to look at their planning.

I was thinking about the "we were fine when we were small" thing - I'm sure we didn't ever spend whole days in the sun even for sports days, and the my memory is much tamer races, activities.

RedPeppers · 29/06/2017 11:24

I would mention it to the school.
He might well have been the only one who got dehydrated (our bodies all function in a different way) but the school needs to know this is a possibility. (So maybe take that into consideration next time they do something like this)
I would ask the school if next time it's possible for your DC to ask for water/take his water bottle with him to avoid taht.
I would also teach your ds that, if he is really thirsty , he needs to ask they are usually very good at asking in the classroom setting when they need to do an exercise they don't really want to do

I wouldn't make a huge issue out of it though.