‘Screw you Christina': Mum unleashes fury about sick child sent on playdate

"She just let the playdate happen because 'he seemed better'," a mum whose daughter is now also unwell rants.

It's one of the unwritten rules of parenthood - if your child is unwell with something another kid could easily catch, keep them at home.

The thing is, keeping them at home isn't always practical - if you're a working parent, and it's 'just a runny nose', for example. But when it's a social catch up, like a playdate, it's considered good etiquette to isolate. 

Of course, not everyone cares about the rules... as one mum discovered this week, the hard way.

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"She just let the playdate happen"

The woman took to an online group to ask the other mum involved was in the wrong.

"Okay, so yesterday my daughter had a play date with my friend Christina and her kids. Everything was all good until this morning, when she woke up with a fever and a stomach ache. So I text Christina, since I don’t know if her kids caught what my daughter has, and I wanna tell her just in case.

"Turns out, Christina’s son was recovering from a stomach bug that put him out of school for three days. (My daughter and her son go to different schools, so I didn’t know.) She just let the play date happen because he 'seemed better'."

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She continues, "Now, not only is my poor daughter sick, but her grandparents are visiting this weekend, and they had a bunch of fun activities to do with her, like going to the aquarium which she loves.

"I just feel guilty that I didn't double check with Christina that her kids were alright, and now my daughter is gonna spend the weekend sick instead of having fun. Also I’m pissed at Christina. Screw you Christina.

"(Not her real name. I just used it because all the Christinas I’ve ever met have been b*tches. Sorry to Christinas reading this, you’re all probably lovely people.)"

Image: iStock

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"Any illness should be reported prior to coming over"

Parents in the comments were incensed on the mum's behalf.

"This is so high on my pet peeve list! ANY illness should be reported to play date partners prior to coming over. I even tell people my kid is sniffly but it's likely allergies during allergy season, to give them the option of backing out if they aren't comfy!" wrote one.

This woman shared her recent similar experience: "My sister willingly put me and my family at risk at my niece's party a few weeks ago because she didn’t disclose that she has COVID and my son had been super sick for a week, and now I am COVID positive. I've been planning a dream vacation to Washington for a long time, I’m supposed to go on Monday."

Another mum revealed that this lack of consideration from others is something she's terrified of: "I kept my toddler home for a week before a long beach vacation. I’m that paranoid and regret nothing."

Finally, parents also expressed empathy for the mum dealing with a sick child. This man wrote, "As a dad who just spend three days taking care of a daughter with her first real stomach bug ever, my sincere sympathies. I don’t think I’ve ever cleaned up as much vomit in my life."

What's your policy on sick kids and playdates? Does a runny nose count? Tell us in the comments on Facebook.

This article was originally published in March 2024 and was updated in September 2024.

Originally published as ‘Screw you Christina': Mum unleashes fury about sick child sent on playdate