Opinion needed. Should kids with colds go to church?

[Epieikeia]

It actually only bothers me (or mainly) in the winter. I think in the winter greeters should not shake hands. They are shaking the hand of every man woman and child that comes through the door and when the sounds of sniffling, snorting, coughing and sneezing overpower the sermon, I think it's nasty to be passing those germs around for some sort of social custom.

Yeah I agree...I was just thinking that it may not bother me as much because I don't really shake too many people's hands at church outside of dh. At our churches in MI we never had morning greeters...so I never had to consider shaking anyone's hand.

We have morning greeters here, but I always seem to be holding on to a child, so my hands are never free.

Now that my kids are getting older that will change so I will have to start thinking about this issue I guess....

Originally Posted by Mother of Sons

BTW, does anyone else NOT want to shake hands at church? I think it is gross and I don't know how to politely get around it.

Having both hands full is an easy out, if you can figure out how to get them both full. DS sleeping in arms is a good one. If it's crowded, just holding two kids hands gets you a pass. One kid's hand and an arm full of Bibles and books. A and a "God bless you" and you're past them...unless you're here and the greeter is another woman, and then she'll just kiss you.

My six month old babies were born very prematurely. I have to stay at home all winter with them because they have compromised immune systems and even a cold will land them in the hospital. If everyone stopped to think about it and stayed home that one week that they or their little ones were sick, I wouldn't have to miss church every single week all winter! I firmly beleive in being selfish with your germs because you don't know who else that minor cold might affect, so I would vote that you should keep your little ones at home until they are better.

[peacefulveganmom]

Originally Posted by mwelfare

I firmly beleive in being selfish with your germs because you don't know who else that minor cold might affect, so I would vote that you should keep your little ones at home until they are better.

I agree!

Originally Posted by mwelfare

My six month old babies were born very prematurely. I have to stay at home all winter with them because they have compromised immune systems and even a cold will land them in the hospital. If everyone stopped to think about it and stayed home that one week that they or their little ones were sick, I wouldn't have to miss church every single week all winter! I firmly beleive in being selfish with your germs because you don't know who else that minor cold might affect, so I would vote that you should keep your little ones at home until they are better.

My youngest was born prematurely last Jan. Dh and I would take turns going to SS, the other staying at home with the kids. We're doing the same this flu season because M's immune system is still compromised.

At our church, if you register your child in the nursery, you've "volunteered" to cover a class every three months. Nearly every time we've kept the nursery there has been at least one child who is obviously sick. I get sick, then Della gets sick. Very frustrating. Especially when we talk to the nursery director and ask her if we can call the parents and she refuses.

So, yeah...I vote stay at home.

[Punkie]

Honestly, it'd be my preference that people who are sick would just stay home. I was sick this last week and stayed home. I keep my kids home if they're sick. I know there are kids with weaker immune systems, and I try to be careful for them as well as for my kids.

Our church nursery used to have a "snot chart" at the sign in desk. It had computer generated faces of children with different colored snot coming out of their nose. Clear and clear with white were o-kay yellow and green and little one needed to go home.

That's odd... I've heard that clear noses can very well be contagious. Here's some links:
http://www.npnonline.org/Articles/npn_runnynose.html

As long as your child’s nose is running, he is contagious; in medical lingo, this period is called "viral shedding." The clear runny stuff is more contagious simply because it is easier to spread around than the thicker drier stuff

http://www.healthychild.net/articles/sh27runnynose.html

In most cases, green or yellow nasal mucus (usually found toward the end of the cold) is no more contagious than clear mucus and may be even less contagious. The runny nose usually starts with clear mucus, which then becomes whitish or greenish as the cold dries up and gets better. This happens because as the body mounts its defense against the virus, white blood cells enter the mucus and color it. Usually the colored mucus comes in smaller amounts and is thicker, a sign that the cold is "drying up" and ending.

[Mother of Sons]

An update to my shaking hands issue. I was patting myself on the back for coming up with the solution (going in a side door!) when the greeter hunted me down at my seat in the narthex (I get claustrophobic in the sanctuary) and shook my hand.

I agree that anyone who is contagious should not be in church, especially if there are elderly or others there who should not be catching things. I usually use the color nasal mucous (sorry if that's too TMI) to determine whether or not a child or person is contagious. If it's clear, then the person is clear to socialize.

[Punkie]

Originally Posted by kalemommy

If it's clear, then the person is clear to socialize.

But, as I just posted above, clear is often more contagious than yellow or green.