Originally Posted by crimgoddess
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.