The little guy is sick again (or it could be teething – you never know).  He’s got a fever and a runny nose, and not much of an appetite.  If he is sick, basically the only plausible explanation is the playroom that we sometimes go to in our local clubhouse – this place is always being blamed for sickness despite cleanings every few hours.  I think it’s more the sick kids that people bring to the rooms than the rooms themselves.

Before my son was born, I was talking to a friend who had a 1,5 year-old at that time.  I asked if he had been going to play groups or play dates, and he said no, they didn’t want the kid to get sick, so they did not have him meet other kids.  I thought that was the weirdest thing ever, because my philosophy is that children learn a lot from other children, so it is good for both their physical and social development.  Also, as a parent I need social time too, and playgroups help me meet other people in the same boat.

Now that the little guy was sick a lot this summer, and is now sick again, it makes me wonder about this philosophy, and if it is better to keep them away from all that physical sickness.  It’s not fun for him to be sick, and it’s not fun for us, his parents, either.  If we didn’t go to the playrooms, he would not get that social element that I think is so important, but he also wouldn’t get sick.

Some people say it is good because they will get sick less often later.  I hope that is true; after all this, he should have the strongest immune system ever 😉