What's your most embarrassing public parenting moment? - Page 7

[sleepingbeauty]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

As my MIL always says, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases." If he is coughing, he is contagious. Personally I would be giving you looks too if I saw you out with your child hacking up a storm. I think people need to have respect for other people who might not want a hacking cough, or who may live with someone who is immune-suppressed and doesn't want to bring that home to their loved one with potentially serious consequences.

but let's face it, sometimes you *need* to go out regardless, you know?

I get the looks sometimes (especially recently--both 2 and 1 year olds are hacking up their lungs T^T)

[Momily]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

As my MIL always says, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases." If he is coughing, he is contagious. Personally I would be giving you looks too if I saw you out with your child hacking up a storm. I think people need to have respect for other people who might not want a hacking cough, or who may live with someone who is immune-suppressed and doesn't want to bring that home to their loved one with potentially serious consequences.

My son has pretty significant asthma and allergies. He coughs and sneezes from August until December, and then starts up again in March and lasts until June. Yes, he takes large doses of medication every day. Yes, we structure our lives so he's inside a lot. It helps, but he still coughs and sneezes. He is not contagious.

Since the swine flu thing I can't tell you how many evil looks we've gotten. The worst are at the swimming pool, which is one of the few really allergen free environments for him. So we go a lot at times when he can't exercise outside. I'm a single parent so of course he also goes to the grocery store, and lots of other places.

Do you have a better suggestion?

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by Momily

My son has pretty significant asthma and allergies. He coughs and sneezes from August until December, and then starts up again in March and lasts until June. Yes, he takes large doses of medication every day. Yes, we structure our lives so he's inside a lot. It helps, but he still coughs and sneezes. He is not contagious.

Since the swine flu thing I can't tell you how many evil looks we've gotten. The worst are at the swimming pool, which is one of the few really allergen free environments for him. So we go a lot at times when he can't exercise outside. I'm a single parent so of course he also goes to the grocery store, and lots of other places.

Do you have a better suggestion?

Yes, telling people he has asthma so they can stop worrying. People aren't just being mean, they are worried. So just a quick, "Oh he has asthma, he's not sick," would help aleviate people's concerns.

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

If he is coughing, he is contagious.

Coughs can linger for quite some time after the pathogen is no longer contagious.

Originally Posted by Heavenly

Personally I would be giving you looks too if I saw you out with your child hacking up a storm. I think people need to have respect for other people who might not want a hacking cough, or who may live with someone who is immune-suppressed and doesn't want to bring that home to their loved one with potentially serious consequences.

I doubt that too many people want a hacking cough.

This reminds me of a time that my (now ex-)H and I had recently transferred to a new military duty station. We'd been there about three weeks. He was spending a couple of weeks out in the field with his unit. Both of my kids came down with illnesses. Oldest was 4.5 and the youngest was 2. We hadn't made any friends yet, and had no family in the area. It was long before grocery stores had Internet shopping and delivery. Should I have just left them home alone in order to go buy groceries?

[lach]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

As my MIL always says, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases." If he is coughing, he is contagious.

I would have to disagree. In my experience, coughs linger for a-g-e-s after a cold, with my throat and my kids throats still irritated.

Originally Posted by Heavenly

Personally I would be giving you looks too if I saw you out with your child hacking up a storm. I think people need to have respect for other people who might not want a hacking cough, or who may live with someone who is immune-suppressed and doesn't want to bring that home to their loved one with potentially serious consequences.

While I would certainly never advocate dragging a seriously ill child out and about, I don't know of anyone whose life can completely shut down for a whole-family quarantine every time a cold hits their house.

[AmyB736]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

As my MIL always says, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases." If he is coughing, he is contagious. Personally I would be giving you looks too if I saw you out with your child hacking up a storm. I think people need to have respect for other people who might not want a hacking cough, or who may live with someone who is immune-suppressed and doesn't want to bring that home to their loved one with potentially serious consequences.

This is not true at all.
People get colds and then coughs sometimes linger LOOOONG after they're contagious.
And people cough for other resons as well, such as asthma and allergies. I certainly wouldn't be walking around giving looks to people with a cough, how rude!

[lilyka]

wow, that is harsh, my kids and I have week lungs. I forget what it is called but i get sick and get well pretty easily but have a cough that sounds like tuburculosis forever. I can't be a hermit and I am danger to no one but myself. Its bronchil something something. The cough irritates the bronchil tubes and makes them swell which causes mor coughing that causes more irritation.. seriously. vicious cycle for months. Madeline has allergies that make her cough like a pack a day smoker. not contageous either. gees if we stayed in while someone had a cough we would nbever freaking leave the house. but then I don't pay a lot of mind to people who give dirty looks either.



as for my most embarrassing moment,......
3 Am...newborn not sleeping so I figure i'll go grocery shiopping at wal-mart, why not, everyone is up...so we get there and she has blown out her diaper and is screaming. I change her and sit down to feed her on a bench at the front of the store. we both fall asleep. now. now that we are at walmart. I wake up to the sweetest angelic face, clearly no longer atttatched to my now fully exposed breast. my first though is why didn't someone wake me up....oh it is because they didn't see me. the creepy smiling old guy standing in front of me and staring is clearly blocking their view. YAY for postpartum sleepless nursing insanity and creepy old guys.

[minkajane]

Originally Posted by lilyka

as for my most embarrassing moment,......
3 Am...newborn not sleeping so I figure i'll go grocery shiopping at wal-mart, why not, everyone is up...so we get there and she has blown out her diaper and is screaming. I change her and sit down to feed her on a bench at the front of the store. we both fall asleep. now. now that we are at walmart. I wake up to the sweetest angelic face, clearly no longer atttatched to my now fully exposed breast. my first though is why didn't someone wake me up....oh it is because they didn't see me. the creepy smiling old guy standing in front of me and staring is clearly blocking their view. YAY for postpartum sleepless nursing insanity and creepy old guys.

OMG, that is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever heard! I'm sure you were completely mortified, but I can't stop laughing!

[AmyB736]

Originally Posted by lilyka

as for my most embarrassing moment,......
3 Am...newborn not sleeping so I figure i'll go grocery shiopping at wal-mart, why not, everyone is up...so we get there and she has blown out her diaper and is screaming. I change her and sit down to feed her on a bench at the front of the store. we both fall asleep. now. now that we are at walmart. I wake up to the sweetest angelic face, clearly no longer atttatched to my now fully exposed breast. my first though is why didn't someone wake me up....oh it is because they didn't see me. the creepy smiling old guy standing in front of me and staring is clearly blocking their view. YAY for postpartum sleepless nursing insanity and creepy old guys.

Oh. My. God. That is hilarious! I cannot even imagine....

[Marylizah]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

As my MIL always says, "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases." If he is coughing, he is contagious. Personally I would be giving you looks too if I saw you out with your child hacking up a storm. I think people need to have respect for other people who might not want a hacking cough, or who may live with someone who is immune-suppressed and doesn't want to bring that home to their loved one with potentially serious consequences.

Well, now I understand better the nasty glares I got.

I have a great deal of respect for other people and try very hard not to inconvenience them or make them sick. However, we must eat. We must sometimes go to the grocery store. We must even take public transportation to go see the doctor. There's just no way to be sure we aren't spreading germs around, and personally, barring a fever, I am not staying home.

I am glad for you that you are able to stay home whenever your child has a cold. Please, try to have a little compassion for those who can't.