Those parents who believe everything their kids say

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Community Health, School Health.

I get wanting to believe your kid, but I also know as a parent, that 99% of the time, you are NOT getting the full story.

I got an angry call from a mother of a first grader I saw yesterday, asking why I didn't call her yesterday to tell her that her snowflake had a fever. Apparently when she got picked up from her after school program at 6:00 pm (I saw her at 11:20 am) she had a fever of 103. I pull up my note from yesterday and say "because she did not have a fever yesterday. If she had a fever I would have sent her home". So mom says "She told me she came to see you yesterday and you told her she had a fever and sent her back to class". So I read her the end of my note out loud "Allowed student to sleep for 30 minutes and re-checked temp- 99.2. Student stated she feels better so sent her back to class". Mom was silent after that :yes:

Edited to add that I also made sure mom understands that a fever is anything over 100.4 at our school, in case she mistakenly thought the 99.2 was a fever.

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Specializes in CPN.

SMH.

Bet she felt silly. Or at least, I hope she did.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

the gospel according to snowflake! i just can't.

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Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.

I lost count of how many times I got reamed by the principal over a parent calling, claiming maltreatment of their LD. I kept GOOD notes. I still have my notes. There was the one who came in complaining of his wrist hurting, no injury, no deformity, nada. Back to class. Got home and told Mom his NECK had been hurting all day, and nobody did anything. Notes saved the day. That principal hated me by the end of the year because I outright REFUSED to be the point person.

Had another Mom, whose LD had asthma and was a self-carry, but never brought his inhaler (4th grade). He was in the office all the time with notes that said 'needs inhaler'. We didn't have his inhaler. Mom would never answer the phone. He was never severe enough to call 911 but definitely needed his meds, and I'd call Mom every time. Finally, I told his teacher that there was absolutely nothing I could do and read the kid the riot act for not bringing his inhaler (this had gone on for MONTHS with no help from higher up). I got a call from Mom the next day, wanting a 'meeting'. From the tone, I knew she was looking for a fight so I came prepared. We convened in the principal's office and I came armed with my notes. Mom walked in with her hiney on her shoulders and walked out with her tail between her legs. There was nothing to argue. I had her dead to rights. It was beautiful. Come to find out, kiddo told Mom I was refusing him his meds and 'being mean'.

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I lost count of how many times I got reamed by the principal over a parent calling, claiming maltreatment of their LD. I kept GOOD notes. I still have my notes. There was the one who came in complaining of his wrist hurting, no injury, no deformity, nada. Back to class. Got home and told Mom his NECK had been hurting all day, and nobody did anything. Notes saved the day. That principal hated me by the end of the year because I outright REFUSED to be the point person.

Had another Mom, whose LD had asthma and was a self-carry, but never brought his inhaler (4th grade). He was in the office all the time with notes that said 'needs inhaler'. We didn't have his inhaler. Mom would never answer the phone. He was never severe enough to call 911 but definitely needed his meds, and I'd call Mom every time. Finally, I told his teacher that there was absolutely nothing I could do and read the kid the riot act for not bringing his inhaler (this had gone on for MONTHS with no help from higher up). I got a call from Mom the next day, wanting a 'meeting'. From the tone, I knew she was looking for a fight so I came prepared. We convened in the principal's office and I came armed with my notes. Mom walked in with her hiney on her shoulders and walked out with her tail between her legs. There was nothing to argue. I had her dead to rights. It was beautiful. Come to find out, kiddo told Mom I was refusing him his meds and 'being mean'.

I'm sorry you don't have the Principal in your corner.

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I lost count of how many times I got reamed by the principal over a parent calling, claiming maltreatment of their LD. I kept GOOD notes. I still have my notes. There was the one who came in complaining of his wrist hurting, no injury, no deformity, nada. Back to class. Got home and told Mom his NECK had been hurting all day, and nobody did anything. Notes saved the day. That principal hated me by the end of the year because I outright REFUSED to be the point person.

Had another Mom, whose LD had asthma and was a self-carry, but never brought his inhaler (4th grade). He was in the office all the time with notes that said 'needs inhaler'. We didn't have his inhaler. Mom would never answer the phone. He was never severe enough to call 911 but definitely needed his meds, and I'd call Mom every time. Finally, I told his teacher that there was absolutely nothing I could do and read the kid the riot act for not bringing his inhaler (this had gone on for MONTHS with no help from higher up). I got a call from Mom the next day, wanting a 'meeting'. From the tone, I knew she was looking for a fight so I came prepared. We convened in the principal's office and I came armed with my notes. Mom walked in with her hiney on her shoulders and walked out with her tail between her legs. There was nothing to argue. I had her dead to rights. It was beautiful. Come to find out, kiddo told Mom I was refusing him his meds and 'being mean'.

Wow! And I mean seriously, WHY would the nurse refuse to give meds ever? I seriously think these parents don;t use their common sense when listening to their kid's stories. Maybe I am just mean, but I usually assume 1/2 of what my kids tell me is skewed and always ask for clarification before coming to any conclusions.

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We actually just had another one this morning, this time involving an incident with a third grader and graffiti of the "F" word in the hallway on her way back to class after seeing me yesterday.

Yesterday a student was sent down to me and given work to complete in my office since she would be here a while. I gave her a pencil to do her work. She left to RTC and did not return my pencil. Graffiti mysteriously shows up in the stairwell after she left my office. Teacher and principal ask me if I am "sure" I never got my pencil back because she is insisting she returned the pencil and mom is insisting her kid "would never do something like that and I must be mistaken and why are we trying to frame her kid for a crime she didn;t commit". Kid spent all of this morning in the principal's office because the principal refused to back down, knowing that the kid is lying. Guess what? Principal and teacher just texted me that she finally admitted everything and now of course mom is feeling like an idiot for throwing a nutty at the principal and essentially calling me a liar and "framing" her kid.

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I was once saved by cameras in our school.

Kid told her parents that she came to me in first hour from PE with a hurt wrist and that I gave her an ice pack and sent her away. She told them it hurt all day and I never followed up with her. Parents took her to ER and it was broken. They called a meeting with me and the principal to figure out why I was dismissive of her injury. I was freaking out for a full day because I had no charting on this visit. I chart every visit but I suppose one could fall through the cracks but why this one???

Sat in the meeting with parents, apologized that this visit somehow didn't get charted and that I didn't remember her coming with an injury. Student said I barely looked at it and sent her back to class. I felt awful. Then the principal said "Well let's pull up the camera from the hallway and we can see what time she entered and left the health office so we'll know how long she was seen for" Student immediately broke down crying and said she never went to the health office, never saw me, she was too shy to ask her teacher to let her go see the nurse. Parents apologized and had a good talking to with her about lying.

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I was once saved by cameras in our school.

Kid told her parents that she came to me in first hour from PE with a hurt wrist and that I gave her an ice pack and sent her away. She told them it hurt all day and I never followed up with her. Parents took her to ER and it was broken. They called a meeting with me and the principal to figure out why I was dismissive of her injury. I was freaking out for a full day because I had no charting on this visit. I chart every visit but I suppose one could fall through the cracks but why this one???

Sat in the meeting with parents, apologized that this visit somehow didn't get charted and that I didn't remember her coming with an injury. Student said I barely looked at it and sent her back to class. I felt awful. Then the principal said "Well let's pull up the camera from the hallway and we can see what time she entered and left the health office so we'll know how long she was seen for" Student immediately broke down crying and said she never went to the health office, never saw me, she was too shy to ask her teacher to let her go see the nurse. Parents apologized and had a good talking to with her about lying.

Whoa. Little stinker.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

Me too today.

I am happy to call you every time your 7th grader and her two sisters come in for every little thing!

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Me too today.

I am happy to call you every time your 7th grader and her two sisters come in for every little thing!

I had a mom call me and chew me out for not calling her once when her kid , who is a total FF by the way, came to see me about a scratch on his back that I could barely see. I put lotion on it to make him feel like I did something and she was mad that I put something on it and did not inform her. So I apologized and told her I would call her whenever he came to see me. I think she is now regretting telling me she wanted that because he comes all the time and I call her every,single.time:laugh: She also now realizes what a real PITA he is and hoe often he leaves class for stupid stuff.

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Specializes in School nursing.
I had a mom call me and chew me out for not calling her once when her kid , who is a total FF by the way, came to see me about a scratch on his back that I could barely see. I put lotion on it to make him feel like I did something and she was mad that I put something on it and did not inform her. So I apologized and told her I would call her whenever he came to see me. I think she is now regretting telling me she wanted that because he comes all the time and I call her every,single.time:laugh: She also now realizes what a real PITA he is and hoe often he leaves class for stupid stuff.

Ha!

I had a similar story with a parent one and I was calling every time after that. Parent then apologized, said only call me if you really need to, and gave me a lovely holiday card that year ;).

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