Home with a Semi-Healthy Kid

The schools have a new policy this year: kids must be 24 hours fever free without use of any medicine before going back to school. How do they enforce this, you ask? Good question. All I know is that when you call your kid in sick, they immediately ask his symptoms. Maybe there is a fever alert placed on your kid or something, I don't know.

My son had a low-grade fever yesterday, but really had none yesterday afternoon. By last night, he was dancing with the stars. He woke up with no fever and really wanted to go to school. I just about let him, but in my gut I'm feeling guilt over the 24 hour policy. What if they ask how long he's been without a fever? If it's only been 22 hours, does that count? Will they send him home right after I've driven to work?

It seems to me that policies such as this have the best possible intentions, but end up punishing the obedient parents on every side. First, my basically healthy child will be home all day instead of learning at school, even though he doesn't have a fever and is tired. What kid isn't tired? Second, someone's kid came to school sick, which is how my kid got sick in the first place. They didn't follow the rules, and now we're stuck home two days instead of one to try to keep those kids from getting sick again. And bringing it to school. So my kid can get sick again and stay home some more.

I decided last night that instead of continuing to agonize and be frustrated over these hopeful but questionably helpful policies, I would just enjoy the extra time at home with my big guy. I don't get a lot of one-on-one with him anyway, so we'll watch movies, snuggle and do whatever it is semi-sick kids do on their day off.