Stayed home with the little one today, who was very ill. Apparently we're in the midst of a norovirus outbreak--that nasty stomach bug known for ruining people's cruise ship vacations. Last week they cancelled a play because so many kids were absent. But yesterday they forged ahead with their 100th Day of School party, which involved finger foods and highly contagious ten year-olds. By 3am, my own ten year-old was paying the price.
Where germs are concerned, I'm hardly the Felix Unger type. I mean, what mother hasn't picked the cat hair off her child's teething biscut and popped it back into her mouth? The number of germs that will make a child sick is relatively small as compared to those that strengthen her immune system.** But even I draw the line somewhere. When half the school's on their knees in front of the porcelain goddess, shouldn't some effort be made to halt the spread of disease? Couldn't they at least have a chat with the kids about hand washing? Postpone the communal dessert troughs?
To her credit, Jacinda's been handling her illness surprisingly well. She can go off into the stratosphere if asked to accomodate the presence of legumes of her dinner plate, but where being sick is concerned, she's remarkably matter-of-fact. I'm impressed.
UPDATE: She woke up sunshine this morning--a little tired, but otherwise well!
