The Booger Dilema

This is the time of year that all mother's have to ask: Do I send them or keep them home? We have all had a cold for over a week now but it seems to be at the end, when everyone is just drippy and coughing. I kept the twins home from preschool Monday, not as much for the cold as the kids had locked my keys in my car so I took the opportunity to be lazy all day and stay home! So, then today they both have running noses and Nick's is a pleasant shade of green. So, do I send them or keep them home? They are otherwise fine, definitely could benefit from three structured hours of play and learning, or perhaps I can benefit from their three hours of structured play and learning!

I think all Mom's have that fear of being "The mom who sends kids with boogers" and makes the entire class sick. But, I think all Mom's also have that desire to accidentally not see the boogers and naively send them anyway!

The Pros: If I send them, I get three hours of them at school. They burn off some energy. They come home fully enlightened and brilliant and stimulated (ok, exaggeration!) All the other kids probably have the same cold, so what's the difference? If I keep them home, I would save gas from the trips to and from preschool. If I send them, I'll be able to go to the grocery with just Harrison and Millie.

The Cons: All the other kids might be healthy and have good mom's who don't send them sick, and my kids will make all of them sick. Harrison has a half day, so I won't have time to myself anyway, so sending them with boogers won't really win me any time in the end. I will become the Mom who is scowled at after Nick sneezes and has big boogers shoot out his nose, right as the kids are all walking into class, so ALL the other parents see him! Fighting: if we skip, then that is three extra hours for the kids to fight all afternoon and drive me nuts!

What to do, what to do!