How do you decide if they are ill enough to be off?

[freshstart]

DD (6) was ill at the weekend whilst we were away. She was staying with her Grandma and was up in the night "burning up". When I collected her she was lying on the sofa and very tired/whingey.

She has not been sick although has retched a few times and has complained of very sore tummy since Sunday.

She also has a cough.

Hasnt eaten since Sunday and is just lying endlessly on sofa.

Thing is, tomorrow will be day 3 of being off but as she hasnt actually got any "symptoms" so to speak I wonder if I am being too soft letting her be off.

She got up to the table earlier to do some craft (she loves that) but she stopped after a few minutes saying she felt ill.

Hmmmmm just cant decide what to do - always feel so naughty having her off school unless she is really ill!

Doesn't sound like she will have the energy for school. Teachers would probably prefer that she stay off.

i'd let her stay off!
if she is too ill to do stuff she usually enjoys then i'd say she really is ill!

lots of nasty viruses going round atm

Im probably being harsh to her!I suppose a 6 year old wouldnt ordinarily be happy to just lie on sofa and not eat.

I feel this pressure to have her back and well so teachers dont think Im being soft keeping her off and her attendance percentage slips - she has had a few of these bugs and feel like she has had a lot of time off

She sounds plenty ill enough to me, poor kid . My rule of thumb is that I wait til I think my kids are better and then give them an extra day anyway - just to be on the safe side. My reasoning being that they will take longer to recover properly if you send them back too soon, plus they are vulnerable after being poorly to catching something else.

It's a bugbear of mine when people send their kids in when they are not really well - I kept ds2 off the entire week before half term with a D&V bug. When he went back yesterday I was chatting with a other Mum and asking how her holiday had been - oh not good, she says - he was in hospital with breathing difficulties with a chest infection. Turned out that was Thursday and she was sending him back on Monday "He's not really better," she said "but he's better than he was." Grrrrrrrr.

Sorry, fs, I'm going off on one now Anyway, just because she's not puking/having a high temperature doesn't mean she's not ill. I'd keep her off 'til she's no longer listless and is eating properly.

They are used to kids being ill - and there are some really horrid things doing the rounds atm.

Thanks for that - that is what I needed to err!

I too hate it when kids are sent in too soon but feel like Im taking the p*ss if I want to give them the time they need to recover.

I suppose it would be just cruel to send her back until she is eating properly again, she needs her energy.