I Stand Alone – Where Do You Stand?

Here is my latest dilemma. Most parent & me classes offer two free make-up classes during a semester for several reasons – your child gets sick, the parent gets sick, you go away on vacation, your child sleeps through the class, too cold, not in the mood, or because you paid a bloody fortune for the class so you better get your money’s worth! Basically, most venues do not care why you miss the class – you still get your make-ups!

However, some parent & me classes do NOT offer any make-up classes during the course of a semester. The biggest reason is that they feel the chemistry of the class will get lost if there are always new faces in the class completing a make-up. These selected venues pride themselves in nurturing a bond between the parents that show up consistently every week. I agree that this is a legitimate advantage, but at what cost? Does a pricey class that doesn’t offer a make-up class force the hand of some parents to decide to participate in the weekly class, even though (dare I say it) their child is sick.

It’s winter time & my son is sick again. Nothing major – congested, runny nose, watery eyes – but, enough to keep him home from our parent & me class. Therefore, I am alone today as I write this blog entry. I “suck it up” and miss out on my adult interaction for the day & my son is missing his chance to socialize with his friends. BUT, aren’t I making the right decision, so my son doesn’t spread the germs to another child. Being quarantined in the wintertime is a drag. Consequently, I don’t want to be “that guy” with the kid who is coughing in a parent & me class making others cringe.

Sure, maybe I made the mistake of signing up for this type of class knowing that there are no make-up classes allowed. Do I stand alone?

It makes me wonder, what measure do other parents use to gauge how sick is too sick to participate in their weekly parent & me class or playgroup? Do you say, it’s just the sniffles with a runny nose – no big deal – we are still going anyway? Is it the presence of fever? Have you been faced with a similar dilemma? If not, have you been in a class where you noticed there was another child who was definitely sick, and you had to keep your child from going near them?