I was originally going to share with you a week of lunches for Emily and I started out great for the first day, but it quickly ended Tuesday after Emily and Jackson got sick! I did get a picture of her lunch for Monday so I will share that for proof that I did have good intentions!
So instead of lunches, I thought I would ask all of you a question…
How do you feel about keeping your kids home from school?
As some of you may already know from my first post about Emily and school, The First Week of School Changed Me, I was originally planning to keep Emily home every Monday and Friday. That then changed after the first week of school because I saw how much fun she was having and I found myself really enjoying the new routine of getting up and out the door for a specific time.
After that first week, I also made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let Emily miss any day of school, unless of course it was necessary, because I would feel bad thinking of what she would be missing out on at school. I also thought that it was important to make sure she went everyday, especially at the beginning so she would become custom to our new routine.
Well this week, Emily missed her first day of school! After school on Monday Emily started crying because of a sore she had on her tongue and I couldn’t make it go away. She then became very tired from crying, maybe a little over tired even, and just needed to sleep. After a long night, with Emily constantly waking up crying, Tuesday morning came around and she seemed to be okay. I asked Emily how she was feeling and she said she felt good and was ready to go to school. While we were getting ready she told me she didn’t feel good again and she didn’t want to go to school.
I thought about it for the next hour and I went back and forth deciding if I should still send her or not. I really didn’t want Emily to miss school, but at the same time I couldn’t send her if she wasn’t feeling good. I decided she was going to stay home to relax and take the day to feel better.
Around 11:00 am I asked Emily how she was feeling and if she wanted to go to school now. She said she was good and wanted to go to school, so I quickly packed her a lunch. I was so happy she was feeling better and would still make it to school for a half day. As I finished packing her lunch, Emily said she wasn’t feeling good again and that’s when she noticed the blood in her ear. I panicked and then called the doctor to see if I could get her in that afternoon. I knew for sure she wasn’t going to be going to school now.
I couldn’t believe Emily was missing her first day of school only 3 full weeks in!
It does make me sad to know she missed a day, but I’m glad I did keep her home. If Emily went to school in the morning, it might have been worse with her ear and I probably would have had to go and pick her up.
When it comes to sick days, I do think it is important to keep kids home to let them rest. School is such a busy place with so many activities, I think it would be hard for them to really focus or have fun if they were there while sick. I also think it would be unfair for other students to catch something from another student. This then gets into the hard decision if you are a working parent. What do you do when your child is sick and you have to go into work? It can be a very hard decision to make and a lot of work trying to find someone to watch if you did have to go back to work.
Then there are the fun days where you may be going somewhere and decide to take your kids with you too. For myself, every yea, with my mom and sisters, we take a shopping trip to the Toronto Eaton Center at the beginning of December to start our Christmas shopping. It’s a full day event and this year if I do go, Emily may have to miss a day of school. I still haven’t made the decision if I would go this year because, again, I don’t want Emily to miss school, but at the same time its a little family tradition we have. Luckily, I still have a couple of months to decide!
What are your thoughts on fun days during the week with your kids?
I hope you will share some of your thoughts on keeping your kids home! Here are a few more questions to consider as well:
Does it depend on the age of your child or the grade they are in?
Did your thoughts changed when your kids started going to school?
Leave your comments down below!
-Corrie
EXTRA
If you would like to see how our week went, check out our week long vlog over on The Baby Gang YouTube – Starting Something New
The Baby Gang 
Ha!! We homeschool so our kids stay home every single day. When they were all home and school age, it was wonderful having all 7 home learning together. I did have a few try out public school and I literally got depressed and so did they. They didn’t like it and didn’t thrive in school, so back home they came. I’m down to homeschooling our youngest 2, boys ages 16 and 17. I am already dreading when I won’t have anymore at home to educate, it has been the best experience and one I knew the Lord prepared me for before I had any of them.
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If they’re sick keep them home! It’s ok for them to miss school. School is important but so is their physical and mental health! When my kids were in jk/sk I didn’t feel guilty having them home. Sometimes I’d only send them for half a day. Then we’d have fun for the rest of the day. The girls are now in grade 5 & 10 and I still take them on vacation during the school year or take half/full days just because! Sometimes they just need a break! Like we do!
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They’re only this young for a short time, and keeping them home for family traditions is a must and non-negotiable in my book.
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