…and work has to remain a priority.
My youngest came down with the flu, which resulted in him staying in bed all day yesterday and becoming sick to his stomach last night. After seeing other parents dealing with this throughout our community, I knew this was running rampant through our school system.
The clincher? Receiving this notice from the high school principal:
“A Note from the School Nurse:
As we run full steam ahead into the cold and flu season, I wanted to remind families to please keep your student home from school if they are sick. Attendance is so important; however, an ill student will not be able to participate in the school day, will prolong the period of illness and spread the germs to other students. A student is expected to stay home from school for at least 24 hours following diarrhea or vomiting. They should be at least 24 hours fever free without the use of medication.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me, [school nurse’s name, phone number and email address], or feel free to pop in my office at the elementary school at any time.
Thank you for helping to keep our school healthy.”
Because our other two children are away at college, I don’t have to worry about this spreading beyond my husband and me. (Thank goodness—because it’s terrible.) That does mean, though, that I have to prepare.
How do I plan to prepare? Aside from running around the house spraying Lysol everywhere while making sure everyone takes their vitamins, I have to make sure I’m ahead on deadlines. Parents throughout the community have explained that this thing hangs on for over a week to a week-and-a-half.
That’s a long time—too long to “not” work. I’m not saying my husband and I will get this. But, the odds aren’t in our favor. So, that means being vigilant before anything MIGHT happen.
What do YOU do, as an independent business owner, when sickness hits YOUR home?