Keeping the parents busy

mrb — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:48:28 +0000

To add to the list of 'things our parents never had to do', each morning we must take our 4-year old daughter's temperature, and write it in a small book provided by her kindergarten. If the temperature is over 99F children should stay at home, thereby preventing any future bird-flu epidemic.

So each morning, out comes the electric ear thermometer, and both her ears get a 'doot'. [Side note: does anyone really 'Always attach a new clean lens filter' before use? Ours gets a wipe on my shirt if I remember.]

But, then the system breaks down. MissB is generally warm, and for long stretches of the year her morning temperature is over 99. So I just write 99 in the book, and off she goes to school anyway. I thing 100.6 is our record so far. Yes if she's feeling poorly she'll be kept home, but if she's as lively as normal, and ate her breakfast, off she goes.

Last week I got the chance to see we're not alone, when another student's temperature book came home in MissB's bag by mistake. For added excitement, they fill in temperatures on random days, usually only once or twice a week. Second, all the temperatures I saw were in the range 91-93F. Either their child has gone into hibernation, they're running their aircon way too low, or they need to learn the 'wipe the thermometer on the shirt' trick.

So, all good in theory, not much use in practice, and a source of extra work for the people that least need it. To quote from a teacher friend's email I received yesterday:

Sometime this weekend I need to do some reports but hey who cares. The parents who need to read them can't.

MrB

Batgung - parenting

Keeping the parents busy