Pariah of the Playgroup!
by Cindy
We all know, of or have been victims of, the playgroup disease trackers.
If you have not heard of this new phenomenon (new to me, anyway), let me fill you in. Let's say Johnny and Susie and Dominic are playing together, and the next day Dominic develops a runny nose. Well, since Dominic's house is antiseptically cleaned on a 4-hour rotation 6 times a day, and they only consume probiotic foods, those pesky germs could not have spawned from their house. So, Dom's clever mommy breaks into CSI: Cold and Virus.
Susie did look a little too pale, and Johnny, well they have pets, and it is well known that domesticated and vaccinated cats and dogs can bring the world to a screeching halt! Think Salem Witch trials, but in your neighborhood, and the "witch" in this case is the cold-carrying child. I am happy to report (being a teacher and parent) that I realized from early on that germs, colds, bugs happen - that's life.
I have not tracked down the fire starter child, who spread the herpes zoster virus (chicken pox) around like salt on an iced sidewalk, or chicken feed in the middle of a pack of starving hens. Instead, I accept that this is how viruses live and mutate, and this is indeed part of life and childhood. I reinforce hand washing, the use of tissues instead of sleeves, and remind the girls to not share hairbrushes,tooth brushes or chewing gum. I refuse to be a disease tracker, a member of the CSI Special Victims Unit that tracks throat infections, stomach bugs and mild fever. I try to remember that all of us mothers are doing the best we can. Slowly infecting the playgroups one child at a time.
