Would You Bring a Sick Child to Thanksgiving?
The plan was for my sister to come to Dallas from Florida for Thanksgiving with her husband and three children. But she called at 5 a.m. this morning to say that her 8-year-old son has a fever. She’d taken him to the doctor Tuesday, she told me. He has a virus. She has been giving him Motrin, he feels fine as long as it hasn't worn off. And now it’s time to leave for the airport. It’s decision time: Should she bring him? Should her husband stay behind with her son? I told her to bring him. He’s been looking forward to this for weeks. My children have been looking forward to seeing him. It’s family. We’ll wash our hands a lot. But what about the others on the flight? What would you have done? Is there etiquette for situations like this?
Comments
This is a hard call! I went to Thanksgiving last year after having a stomach virus on the Tuesday prior, and my whole family ended up getting sick by the weekend. I completely regretted going and getting everyone sick, but it's really hard to stay home when Thanksgiving is such a fun and rare occasion. Also, sometimes it’s an unknown if you are still contagious, especially when you feel better. I think it just depends on the situation. Good luck!
Posted by: Kathleen | November 22, 2006 04:19 PM