MJ's first school "sick" day

Well, today MJ had to stay home from school. Why? He was "sick" according to the school nurse.

A little background, first. Every day when the kids enter the school, they all have to line up to see the school nurse. She looks in their eyes and their mouths. Then she gives them a squirt of hand sanitizer and tells them to wash their hands. Finally (if they pass inspection) she gives them a little red plastic rectangle (approximately 1" X 2") to take to their classroom. Outside each classroom is a board with a bunch of pockets where they are supposed to stick their little red plastic "I'm okay" thing-y in a little slot below their name and picture. MJ's classroom has a board with a school-bus drawn on it, and rows of pictures above the pockets. This would be fantastic, if the pictures and names were up to date. However, MJ has been going to school there since early February and neither his picture nor his name are anywhere on the "bus". So he just picks a pocket, slides his "I'm healthy" indicator into it and goes into the classroom. At some point in the day, someone comes around and removes all the red plastic things and takes them back downstairs to repeat the process the next day. It's ridiculous, because there is absolutely no way to trace who put their red thing where, but it's how things are done here.

So, today MJ has a canker-sore on the inside of his lower lip. When we arrive at school and reach the school nurse, she peers inside his mouth and declares that he cannot come in, he must go home and (preferably, in her opinion), he should be taken to the hospital. Excuse me??? I'm sorry, but there is NO WAY I'm taking my child to the hospital for a canker sore. First of all, it's a canker sore. Second of all, health care in China is a very bureaucratic business, so a trip to the hospital is not going to be a quick jaunt. Third of all, any time my children set foot inside a hospital/clinic, they end up with something worse (health-wise) than what they originally went to see the doctor about in the first place.

To be fair, there have been outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease at a number of kindergartens in Shanghai, so I appreciate their concern. However, the sores associated with HFM are distinct - and do not look like canker sores at all. In addition, if there is so much concern for communicable diseases, why do they allow kids with hacking swine-flu-like coughs to stay at school as long as they carry a white surgical face mask? I'm sure there aren't any little virus-cells escaping from those oh-so-air-tight, high-Chinese-quality surgical masks. And I'm sure there are absolutely none on the kids hands...(please note my liberal use of sarcasm, both when speaking and writing).

So yes, my child missed school today for a canker sore. I'm pleased to report that after a day of observation (as the school nurse requested), his canker sore has not resulted in a deadly fever of any kind. Whew. I was worried for a minute. In addition, MJ has not experienced any fainting or dizzy spells, any shortness of breath, any loss of appetite, or any other adverse side effects as a result of his canker sore. Rest easy, concerned family members. I think he will live. (Whether he's allowed into school on Wednesday is a whole separate issue, though!)