I'll take 'Starts with M' for 1000...

I started a new rule at work today for the kids.

In the past, if they weren't planning to eat snack, they didn't have to go wash their hands at snack time.

But so many of them have been sick in the past couple weeks, and the school is full of other sick kids, too. So when we gathered today to go across to the other hallway to wash, I told them that everyone was going to wash their hands, "Today, and for at least the next few weeks."

I didn't tell them why, instead, with a series of questions and commentary, they told me.

They told me that 'most of my class is sick.'
And 'I was throwing up the night before last night during the day.' (translation... Sunday afternoon.)
They told me that kids forget to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. Or they cover their mouth with their hands, then get their hands all over stuff.

They have a pretty good idea of how bacteria and viruses are spread, but there's some sort of... disconnect when they apply (or fail to apply) it to themselves. Everyone else is loaded with germs and is 'gross'.

Believe me, I know how that feels, being surrounded by germy booger picking butt diggers.

They remember the apple experiment we did at the beginning of the school year, too.

Annie* has been sick since Thursday of last week. Her first day back at school was today, and she still doesn't look great. She said she feels okay, but her color isn't good and she's awfully tired. Dark circles under her eyes and just... draggy.

Greg* was sick over the three day weekend, and although he has no fever and seems to be mostly himself, he has a terrible barky cough. He tries to cover it, and mostly does... okay. But he's 8. And could probably work on his hide-the-cough skills a little more.

Molly* was out three days last week, and there was a three day weekend as well, so she's been sick for six days. She told us all breathlessly that, "There is something in one of my lungs that's very very bad!! It's a secret. It starts with 'm'."

Alden* immediately guessed 'Madagascar'.  ::snicker::

"No!" she said. "It's..." and here she lowered her voice confidentially, "Mommannya."

The kids were mystified until I asked if she meant pneumonia.
"Yeah! That's it. Mommannya!" she answered.

And we did the handwashing thing, but they tattled on each other.
"Bob didn't use soap!"
"Bill didn't use soap!!"

I have personally observed their handwashing. Even when they do use soap, what most of them do is squirt a tiny bit on their hands and then rub them together as they're immediately rinsing it off. Not gonna kill many germs that way.

So tomorrow I will grab the foamy soap I have stashed in the back room and line them up and squirt it on their hands while we're still in the hallway. Have them rub their hands together and then go into the bathroom to rinse.

I may not be able to stay relatively healthy the whole season... or relatively sane, actually... but I'm sure gonna try to make sure they actually wash their hands.

Now if I can just teach them to keep their fingers out of their mouths and their pants.