Pardon me while I rant

To the Parents of the filthy little street urchins children who come in contact with my daughters on a daily basis,

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for being the cause of an upsurge of family togetherness we here at the Morrison household have recently experienced. However, family time for us is usually more enjoyable when one or more of us is not moaning in discomfort on the couch, or afraid to leave the bathroom for fear of not being able to get back there quickly enough.

My DD1 has now got strep and coxsackievirus (which has resulted in herpangina and high fever). Of course, coxsackievirus is VERY contagious, so my DD2 gets to share in the fun. Hers has manifested itself in herpangina, a high fever, and hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. (If your response was "ewwwww", you hit the nail on the head.) Now, this in itself might not sound that awful to you - as a single sickness doesn't really interrupt one's life for more than about a week. However, your viral carrying unwashed offspring kids have given my kids several viruses and or bacterial infections in the last few weeks, which has resulted in my being sick for 6 weeks, and has cost us upwards of $75 in doctors' office visit co-pays, and $40 in prescription costs to alleviate either the nasty bacteria or horrific viral symptoms such as not sleeping for 4 days because DD1 couldn't lie down and still remain breathing at the same time.

I am working with my children to wash their hand whenever possible. I insist that their teachers keep hand sanitizer in a handy location and mention it's use several times a day. But you know what I do that y'all don't seem to understand? I KEEP MY KIDS HOME WHEN THEY ARE SICK because I know that kids are kids - and don't wash their hands often enough if an adult isn't right there to remind them to do so. I do not let them go to school with a fever. I do not let them go to dance class when nose and eyes are running uncontrollably. I do not let them play soccer when I know the running will cause them to start coughing uncontrollably (again) in to the faces of the other players.

Please, for my sanity if nothing else, stop infecting my family. Because I? Am QUEEN of revenge...and no one is capable of spreading germs like a secretious 4 year old! (Which, as luck would have it, I happen to have!)

Consider yourselves warned.