Quote Originally Posted by crimgoddess


Maybe I am skeptical because my experiences are the complete opposite. From age three to about age 10, my house was a complete vomitoreum. There has only been one time thatI remember vomitting so much that I thought it was never going to stop, but there were many times that I would have a fever and vomit 2-3 times. It would happen for me at least once or twice a year (once while in front of the entire school- not my finest moment)- and for my brother more. I didn't really know that this was abnormal- it didn't seem as though we were sick more often then other kids. My brother was sick more often that I was, but grew out of it and now is rarely sick. For me it has become the opposite.


I am quite close to my entended family- aunts, uncles, and cousins. Their kids are never as sick as often or as extreme as my brother and I were.


*amber*


I agree. I can tell multiple times per year when I would get sick from school or my brother would and we'd bring it home and the entire family would catch it. My mom used to get sv- in elementary school. I think the difference is this:


In the 60's, parents that I know of at least, were more likely to let their child stay home with a case of the sniffles, much less if they said they had a bad stomach ache and possibly a slight fever. Getting into schools was less competitive, kids could miss a few days and still pass their classes, and while education was valued during the time, admissions tests had lower standards and whatnot. Now, you have those parents (mine included) that don't believe their kid when they say they're sick until the school calls and they really are. You have the parents who both work and don't have time for kids to be sick so send them anyway. So with a higher number of kids in general (bigger class sizes, etc..) and more of them being sent to school sick, it's reasonable to expect a higher number of them will be infected each year.


Parents need to do their best to listen to their kids when they say they're sick. I can't tell you how many times my brother for example would tell mom he wasn't feeling well in the morning, act lathargic, etc... He was clearly not feeling well, but because grades are competitive moreso than ever now, mom would send him to school anyhow, only to have him call an hour later because he was sick with an sv-. I for one got sv- when I was little (in disneyland even...that was AWEFUL), but more commonly I would have strep throat. I'd tell my mom I had a sore throat and she'd know it was strep as I got it once a year, especially right after a cold or something. She'd respond with, "Just make it through the day and I'll take you to the doctor after school. You have a test you can't afford to miss." My junior year of highschool I got pneumonia the last day of classes. Mom said to go to school for that halfday anyways because I wanted to get my yearbook signed for heaves sake! The school system has changed, making is so that because of the high emphasis on perfect attendance, more kids are being sent to school even though they might be under the weather.