A couple of weeks ago, my third-grader became ill at school during a special event.  I happened to be present, so I wound up with him in the nurse's office as she evaluated his condition.  He didn't have a fever, but I was definitely taking him home, so I left them there while I ran upstairs to his classroom to find his coat and backpack.

As I returned, the nurse started speculating on what could be causing my son's illness.

"It might be the flu," she commented. "When you were upstairs he said that his throat hurts. That's how this flu starts, with a sore throat. You know, three people in Pennsylvania have died from the flu already this year."

I was hoping Mr. Third Grader wasn't paying attention, but I hoped wrong. He's eight years old and very smart. His ears work just fine, even when the rest of him isn't feeling so great at the moment. And she was sitting right there at the foot of the little cot he was lying on.

In the car, on the way home, he wondered if he might have the flu. He mentioned that people died from the flu. I spent the rest of the ride reassuring him that he's fine and that he wouldn't be dying anytime soon.

It turned out that my son was just fine; no flu, and in less than 24 hours he was back on his feet, playing Nerf basketball and eating me out of house and home--business as usual.  After he returned to school, I sought out the principal.  I wanted to thank her for the quick response of many teachers when my son first became ill--and to let her know that the school nurse could stand to work on her bedside manner.

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