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Back to school: Real world re-entry

TheCopenhagenPost
August 5th, 2015


This article is more than 9 years old.

As the holiday season winds down, preparation is the key to transitioning back to the everyday

Well, they look happy about it! (Photo: Creative Commons)

The sun is finally shining and the weather is fabulous, so that can only mean that the Danish holiday season is nearly over.

Soon, early morning alarms will signal grumpy school kids and dazed parents that it is time to get back to the daily grind. After a summer of kids playing Minecraft for hours on end and parents lounging in bed for a second cup of coffee, the transition can be messy.

“Preparation is a good thing,” Else Guldager, a nurse specialising in wellness told DR Nyheder.

“Now, when there are still a few extra hours in the day, is the best time to ensure that things like lunch boxes, raincoats and rubber boots are in order.”

A job for everyone
Guldager said that assigning each member of the family a specific task or two will help everyone survive the upcoming morning rushes.

“Parents (and older children) can review what each morning holds; who has to be where and who is going to do what job to help everyone get out of the door,” she said.

Plans should also be set for who is dropping off and retrieving the children, including emergencies like a little one falling ill while at school or having a last minute recital practise pop up.

READ MORE: Every third Danish school has a poor working environment

Guldager recommended a dry run to and from school for those children getting ready to attempt it for themselves for the first time, either on foot or by bike.

“It’s a good thing to take it slow, so you are satisfied that they not only know the way, but are comfortable in traffic,” she said.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”