To take DS to a pantomime when he’s coughing

[needabreak5]

DS1 is recovering from an illness. Had a temperature earlier in the week but is now fine in himself/full of energy but has a lingering cough that is continuous at times. Normal for him and happens every time he gets a cold. (E.g. DS2 likely had same virus at same time but cough disappeared on Wednesday).

He’s been back to school today as per schools advice. We have tickets for a pantomime tomorrow afternoon - would you take him, I’m conscious that he may be coughing sitting very close to strangers. WWYD?

Covid is irrelevant, it’s annoying. coughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcough

Selfish parenting because it's not just your. Hold who will be attending.

Yes I would. Everyone's coughing at the moment. If he's had 3 days since the temp and he's well now then you're fine to take him.

You don't know at what stage the contagion is though. You could end up spreading it and just because your son only had mild symptoms doesn't mean other people will. Truthfully I'd probably leave the panto myself before you got chance to if I was sat near a coughing child who clearly hadn't been well and was spluttering a lot. Surely there must be other performances you can see?

No. Everyone is not coughing.

I wouldn't take my DC if they were coughing.

1. They are just getting over something so could easily go downhill again

1. It's not fair to share the illness with others

1. It's really irritating in a place where listening is key

Yes, we learnt to value our time out of lockdown and not cooped up indoors missing special Christmas times and public events. Coughs can commonly last up to 6 weeks. All of the Christmas performances I have been to this week have had numerous people coughing. Coughs are even higher than pre-covid because the lockdown (which I was supportive off fyi) has had a huge effect on children's immune system. Keeping them home will only exacerbate this.

OP, I think you should take him, but do please step outside with him if it is constant, and teach him to try and hold back his coughs for when people are laughing/clapping/noisy moments where possible. And make sure he has plenty of drinks.

I would test and if negative then go, given that he's likely much less likely to spread it now that a few days have passed. But I'd take cough sweets, water and tissues and take him out if he starts to cough.

Have a feeling op is going to just take him anyway!

NB at the moment there are SO many non-Covid mild sniffles and coughs going around. We've had at least 3 episodes of colds going round and round our household recently. Symptoms have been very mild but due to Covid we've done lots of tests and they've all been negative.

No, you're going to ruin a lot of family's Christmas if you do.

Clearly not.

Yes, we learnt to value our time out of lockdown and not cooped up indoors missing special Christmas times and public events.

Yes, life is for living! And killing a few other people as we go, but hey ho.

Threads like these make me despair. How are so many people so selfish? Intermittent, occasional coughing - fine. A cough that is sometimes constant - not fine. I am totally put off ever going to the theatre at this time of year by threads like this. It's the right thing to do to stay at home with noticeably unwell children, especially in the run up to Christmas, where your choice not to could really impact someone else's festivities.

Everywhere you go there days there are multiple people hacking away. I’d just go and take sucky sweeties.

I wouldn’t but it’s a tough one in the sense that there will be likely be people there coughing and unwell anyway.

I personally don’t go anywhere if I think I’m unwell or take DC anywhere if they’re unwell but tbh, most people are selfish anyway so it does feel like what’s the point in being thoughtful sometimes.

I’m probably on the extreme side of this spectrum though, I’ve had the DC off school for the last few days of term. I know many will judge that but I really don’t care, if it helps keep them well to enjoy their Christmas with grandparents etc then it’s well worth it to us.

And I will make mental note to avoid the panto

I think it depends what type of panto. If it's an accessible one- daytime where there will be lots of kids of varying ages then I'd be inclined to take him if you're sure he's not contagious and as others have suggested bring water/tissues/sweets to try and keep the cough at bay. I'd also make sure you're ready to remove him if he's coughing too much and it's annoying those around you. However if it's an evening showing and a more 'grown up' type of panto (you don't say how old your kids are unless I missed it) then I wouldn't be expecting as accessible a showing and I probably wouldn't go as there's less likely to be other noise in the audience.

Wow some people on this thread are being so fucking dramatic.

People must be living in a dream world, we can not be expected to spend a fortune on tickets for shows and events and days out, then miss them over a simple cough that isnt accompanied with, say, a temperature or green phlegm flying out of their face.

The OP already said this started a while ago and everything else has passed and he was back in school. It's perfectly normal for a cough to hang around after the actual illness has subsided.

I would absolutely take him and if the cough starts up just nip out for some water and wait till it stops.

Well that's a bit dramatic

Are you suggesting the OPs child could be responsible for killing someone because they went to the panto with a cough when the rest of the illness they had has passed?

Bloody inconsiderate to all those who will be sitting around you.

No, I am, quite clearly I thought, talking about the attitude I see expressed here since 2020, and ongoingly. For example:

Poster writes: Actually, the pandemic isn't over yet.
Response: Who cares! Life is for living.

Any reminder of what we have all been through and are still going through - a global fricking pandemic, which isn't at all over - and people start screeching about lockdowns, which are not on the cards, and when you point out anything factual about the virus and its effects, out comes the denial and/or sociopathic disregard for others, because "life is for living!"

Regardless, it is rude and thoughtless at any time to take a constantly coughing child to a theatre, etc.

Jesus fucking Christ, has nobody learned anything from Covid-19, when THE ENTIRE FUCKING PLANET went into lockdown

Yes. Yes we did. We learned that when we isolate from each other and our immune systems are not put to use as normal, we get a tsunami of illnesses that hit double as hard when we all come back together again.

That being said, I wouldn’t take him because it’s a bit of a dick move to disturb other people and make them feel uncomfortable.