Have the Flu? Stay Home, the World Can Wait!

“Really, really, I can go to school. I HAVE to go to school!”

These were the words of my son petitioning me this morning from his bed. These words came from his mouth, which was attached to a head, a head as hot as coal. A head which could not be lifted from his pillow.

“Just give me some Advil, and I can go!”

His concern: An overdue tech project that needed to be completed in school. A CO2 car he has designed and engineered that still needed to still be sawed, glued, and painted.

This project counts as 60 percent of his grade. How do I know it is 60 percent of his grade? He has told this to me at least 10 times since coming down with the flu.

He is also worried, of course, about falling behind in math. And Science. And how will he ever catch up and HOW he will get ready for midterms.

He puts this pressure on himself to not to stay home and recover from the flu but to GET TO SCHOOL no matter how he feels. No matter the consequences to his own health or those around him.

My son is not yet in Harvard college or even in high school.

He’s only a 14-year-old kid.

He’s only in the 8th Grade.

If you can’t even stay home and rest up from the flu in the 8th grade with a clear conscience, then what does that say about our culture? Is there any wonder we are in the midst of an influenza epidemic?

Now, we all think we have THE most important jobs in the world.

Unless we are at death’s door, don’t even think about skipping work or school.

Even I have come under this delusion of mind over virus.

Last week, in I went to teach afternoon instruction because I felt I HAD to be at work to show my commitment. I was not hacking and coughing. I HAD a prescription for an antibiotic in hand (seems like, if you have flu symptoms and don’t rest them, the darned germs morph into something else, wouldn’t ya know?).

I was just a little stuffy.

Way stuffy.

And my eyes were sunken in because I had barely slept for two …. no three nights because my sinuses were killing me but

SO WHAT?

Life goes on and we muddle through.

At the copy machine my boss asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m just making copies for this afternoon. Then, I’m going to take my antibiotics. Then I’m going to teach. ”

Fortunately, I have a boss who does have the voice of reason.

“You will do no such thing. You look like hell. I appreciate you want to work but you shouldn’t be here. Now go home and get some rest.”

So rest I did and I am better now, a week later. Even so, my energy is not fully back.

So, when it was my son’s turn to fall ill, I did not let him succumb to our hyper-achievement culture.

He’s home. He has a fever that spikes back as soon as the latest ibuprofen dose wears off. But he is resting and doing his work and playing his guitar when he feels up to it.

Will he go back to school tomorrow? Don’t know. We’ll just have to see.

Fess up: have you ever went to work/school when you know you were too sick?