Keep him home?

First Born woke up with a cough this morning.  He had an enormous headache yesterday.  There was no fever, vomit or runny poo.  We decided to keep him home because his chest hurt.  Of course the cough was just a morning, clear the lungs, phlegmy thing.  How do I know this?  Because he hasn’t coughed for an hour or so. 

It is so  hard to figure out is a true sick thing that you need to keep them home for.  My mother’s rule about staying home sick is if we had a fever, vomit or diarrhea.  For me it’s a little more than that.   If he is coughing up a lung or has a sore throat and can’t swallow I keep him home.  If his nose is running clear and he has a nagging cough he goes to school.  Green snot, he is staying home and going to the doctor. 

Next week I’m sure one of the kiddos will have a new cold symptom that I don’t know what to do with. Then The Husband and I are going to look at each other and say “should he go to school?” When in doubt keep them out?  Who knows. I do know if  he wakes up coughing tomorrow morning he will be going to school.  Well, that is if he keeps food down and doesn’t start with the fever.