Do I Need A Backbone?

[DCBlessings27]

DCM of my 13mo dcb texts me this morning to say that he threw up but wasn't running fever--she thinks it's due to drainage. She also said he was acting fine and running around house after older brother. He has been draining badly and started antibiotics last week. I said I think he's ok if you bring him since no fever. She tells me to call her at work if he seems sick. Before lunch, he has a liquid poop. I think--ok I'll call if he has another. He's teething badly and draining. So, after nap he has second liquid poop. Since was almost end of day--4pm, I decided that I'd just say that he should stay home tomorrow. Right after I change 2nd liquid poop, he poops again--liquidy mess. I call mom's work at 4:15pm. DCM says she'll ask mil to pick up early since pu isn't normally til 5:30. I hear from DCD at 4:54 saying he's on his way out the door at work. He normally leaves work at 5. When DCD picks up, I say sorry you know I never call for sick children unless it's necessary. He won't look at me but says he understands. Also, DCD says it's likely due to teething and let's see how he does tonight.

Am I overreacting to be upset that they didn't come sooner to get him? Should I have even let him come after throwing up? I just feel as if DCD seemed upset about leaving work a whole 6 MIN early.:confused:

[Zoe]

Dad can just deal with it. It's a part of being a parent and it sounded like the kid was getting increasingly worse.

It says in my contract that the child must be picked up within an hour of the phone call, which looks like that's what the parents did. Although I would have liked a definite response right away about who was coming an when. Not leaving you wondering like that for 40 minutes.

[saved4always]

I probably would have said that he couldn't come today when they called and said he threw up. I don't like to take chances of that kind of sickness coming into my home. If I get it, nobody is going to have childcare since that is one of the few sicknesses I would cancel care for if I got it.

[Mom&Provider]

NO! You did the right thing and in fact they should be thankful they got to stick around their places of work as long as they did since many providers would have called after the first runny poop OR not even taken the child in the first place!!

This happened to me too, it took DCM's Mother 1 hour+ to come pick-up after I called DCM at work saying her child was ill...DCM works 20 mins from me! :confused:

[wdmmom]

Just tell them that dcb MUST stay home tomorrow.

[cheerfuldom]

are you sure he didn't have a fever? usually "call me at work if he seems sick" is parent speak for "I know he is sick, i gave him tylenol and am hoping you deal with it so i can stay at work as long as possible". Really he probably should have been home for the last several days but I definitely would have called right after the first liquid poo. Parents blame a lot of things on teething. Here is a reliable list of what teething does and does not do.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teething/FL00102

Teething does NOT cause diarrhea

[tntsmom]

Stand your ground!

I have experienced this numerous times and constantly parents are pushing the envelope on this. I had a child have "allergies" and after a day of pure misery for the child I told the DCM to take her in and can only return with a doctors note. It was RSV and viral pneumonia and she was hospitalized! Her brother then got it and she did not say anything, I said enough is enough!
Do not hesitate to remind parents "what comes around, goes around" and if illnesses continue and children are brought sick, childcare will need to close for disease control and to be totally clean for a few days to let everyone get well.

[littlemissmuffet]

Ha. They should be grateful - I probably would have said NO! when mom phoned about DCB throwing up... and I definitely would have called for immediate pick up after the first liquid poop.