It’s the season of holiday parties, along with birthday parties, school parties, holiday pageants, etc….and, yet, it is the height of cold and flu season too!  What is the appropriate thing to do when your kids fall ill and the big party is only a day or two away?  And You Will have Kids has a great article on how to handle this situation with down-to-earth advice covering to go or not to go, how to excuse your child, and reminding us all to remember that there is always next year.

This is definitely a tricky situation, especially around your children.  Great advice here.

Recently, my daughter woke up on the day of her birthday party miserable with a cold. Her party was scheduled to begin at 11 am and I did not have all of the contact information for the entire guest list, and so I didn’t feel I could call the party off. Still, the birthday kid was miserable and the parents were unhappy that we went forward with the party. How can this be handled better if the situation arises in future?

How terrible for the birthday kid, who surely had been looking forward to her big day for weeks! Still, it is important to anticipate that this situation could arise, especially with allergies and transitions between seasons. To keep this awkward situation from arising in future, make sure to have the contact information for the guests’ parents (collect this when the parents RSVP) and call them immediately to let them know. If you only have some of the guests’ contact information, definitely contact them. When the others arrive at your home, explain the situation and, although the guests may be disappointed, they will be grateful to not have their kids around another kid who is sick ~ as things spread quickly.

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A family who has had sick kids all week with a stomach bug are planning to attend my kids’ party this weekend!  How can I politely ask them to stay home, as I don’t want everyone else getting sick at our party?

Honesty is the best policy on this one.  Call your friend and simply say, “I am really concerned about you & your family attending the party this weekend because some of you may still be contagious.  With it taking 7-10 days to stop spreading the virus, I am afraid that the other little ones may get sick.  I would hate to have that happen at the party.  I really hope you understand, and we are going to miss you.  Would you guys be available to get together in a few weeks?  We would love to see you then.”

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