1 Mother 2 Another

Yep, if you've got a kid in the house,
you probably guessed right.


Maddie's got pinkeye.


Just after lunch today I received a harried phone call from the
school nurse: "Your daughter has pinkeye! You need to come pick her
up right away!" I swear she had absolutely no symptoms when she
left the house in the morning, but I still felt guilty, like I'd
tried to pass her off to give myself some more time to sit at home
and eat bon-bons.


Her eye doesn't look bad at all; pink and glazed, but not hugely
swollen or anything. It's been running rampant in the school so I
can't say I'm completely surprised, especially when most people
aren't clear how long they should keep their kid home with said
pinkeye.


"Now how long does Maddie need to stay home from school?" I asked
the doctor yesterday.


"Until she's been using the medicine for twenty-four hours," she
said cheerfully.


I looked at her. "Really? Because isn't she still contagious if
her eye is running and crusting, even if she's on drugs?"


The doctor stopped. "Well, yes, she is still contagious, and she
should stay home until her eye stops running. But we get so much
pressure from parents and schools that it's a pretty standard
'24-hour' line now. But yes, she'll be contagious until it stops
running."


So rest assured, folks - you won't see Maddie until she's pretty
darn cleared up. And as for Maddie, well, I guess she's about to
find out what Mommy does all day while she and Cora are at school.
Hope she likes doing chores, 'cause I got a list that won't
wait.