As the fall season rolls in, so do the dreaded school-year illnesses. Despite our best efforts—like diligent handwashing—once your child touches a doorknob or a shared crayon, it’s game over. It’s a frustrating situation; as devoted parents, we naturally want to find solutions.
Last year at my son’s school, there was a mom named Karen who constantly whispered about which child “infected” her son. I affectionately dubbed her the Germ Sleuth. In her mind, amidst a class of 20 runny-nosed, coughing kids, she had pinpointed exactly who was Patient Zero and how the infection spread like wildfire until it reached her son, the purported innocent victim in this chaotic viral battle. She seemed oblivious to the fact that every child in the class was a walking petri dish, and that on certain days, half of them were absent due to illness. Viruses rolled in one after the other, leaving us all exhausted and hoping for warmer weather.
Then there was Lisa, a mother of an only child, who also loved to dissect the blame game for every sniffle and cough. “We had a playdate with a friend on Thursday, and the next day he was throwing up. A week later, my son started up too. I wish I’d known the other kid was sick; I would have canceled!” she lamented. Ignoring the fact that her son had visited the library and other friends during that week, or that stomach viruses have a short incubation period, she needed someone to hold accountable for her son’s illness. If only other parents would do the right thing—like never leaving their homes—then maybe her child wouldn’t have gotten sick, right?
In reality, many viruses are contagious even before symptoms appear. Parents might not realize their child is ill until they receive a call from the school nurse, well after their little one has touched every surface in the classroom. Sometimes, children remain contagious even after they seem to have recovered. It’s a cycle, and the school environment is a veritable breeding ground for germs. Unless we plan on wrapping our kids in protective gear from October to May, illnesses will happen. Blaming others is akin to shaking your fist at falling snow during a winter storm—completely futile.
This reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials. When kids fall ill, there’s often a need to find someone, usually a mother, to blame because she didn’t anticipate her child would be sick during that playdate. In those trials, innocent lives were lost over unfounded accusations. Our kids? They’re the pure ones, never responsible for their own ailments.
Of course, I too dread the onset of virus season. The endless rounds of dry toast, laundry, and missed workdays loom ominously ahead. So, Germ Sleuths, let’s put down our magnifying glasses and take a breath. We’re navigating this together. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to grab some ginger ale and saltines.
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In summary, as we enter the fall season, let’s remember that we’re all in this together. Seeking to blame others for our children’s illnesses is counterproductive; instead, let’s support one another through the inevitable sniffles and coughs.
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