In no way am I saying that I can prevent sicknesses spreading or that I am always going to protect my children from getting sick but I’m sure going to try my damn hardest.

I also have respect for those who may get sick such as small children and the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.

This is where I run into trouble...my stepson and my husband. I love my stepson dearly but his mom and I don’t see eye to eye. My husband gets visitation which is close to an every other day rotation although my husband is perfectly capable for taking care of a sick child, we are constantly getting sicknesses because my stepsons mother will tell him he has to take him on his scheduled visits despite him being sick; I am not talking about a simple cold.

Last year, he had been given to us with influenza, bronchitis, hand foot and mouth, strep and although some of these are viral, they can still be contagious due to a fever, etc. A lot of these we got more than once because when he would bring it he would then get better and then we would get it and by the time we came to get him again, we would spread it back to him and then his other brother at his moms house would get sick. It was an endless cycle.

This is where my husband and I argue because he wants to take him and always tells me “I always went to school when I was sick and even had the flu”.

My 6 year old son missed almost 1.5 months of school altogether last winter because his immune system became so worn down due to the sicknesses that kept coming to our house (I also understand school can be a big germ fest) but it was usually the same thing my stepson has brought to our home. Due to this, he spent a week in the hospital because he had developed pneumonia and had to be on oxygen due to his stats dropping and I was specifically told it is because of how warn down his body became that it became so severe.

I keep a clean house, disinfect a lot, clean a lot but there’s only so much I can do so please no comments telling me I should disinfect more.

His mom is the type where she will still send him to daycare allll day with a fever or has told me several times to not tell the provider he threw up or even said “just give him Tylenol so his fever is gone by the time he goes to daycare”. This goes against everything I believe in because I have many loved ones that should they become really sick with the flu, etc it could kill them.

My new rule is if he cannot go to daycare or school due to his illness then he should not be coming around our house and spreading what could be prevented.

What do you think??? I have a 6 year old and 2 year old of my own (one which has a heart condition and seizures). I’m just trying to protect my children and other family members that I care about.