Is your child really sick – or are they faking it?

It’s the end of a long weekend, and your child is getting ready for bed when they suddenly start complaining of a tummy ache. The following day when they wake, they say their tummy is still sore and that they are too sick to go to school. Are they faking it?

Parenting is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have, yet it is not without its difficulties. When your child says they don’t feel well, it can be difficult to tell if they are truly sick or if they are acting sick. Here are some ideas to help you make your decision.

Physical signs and symptoms

Physical signs are the simplest approach to determining whether or not your child is very ill. Look for indicators of a fever and keep them at home if their temperature rises above 38^◦. Other tell-tale indicators of sickness include vomiting and diarrhoea. A rash is another sign of an underlying ailment. A rash, like a fever, is difficult to fake.

Runny noses, coughing, and sneezing are not usually indicators of a cold or flu; they could be allergy symptoms. While allergies are unlikely to cause your child to miss school, severe hay fever may induce weariness and drowsiness, restricting your child’s ability to function well at school. When a runny nose, cough, and sneezing are combined with a fever or any of the other symptoms described above, they most likely suffer from the common cold or flu.

Tiredness and fatigue

If your child prefers to stay at home and relax, it’s usually a sign that they’re not feeling well. If they decline the opportunity to watch television, play video games, or use the computer, they are probably not feeling well. Passing up their favourite hobbies in order to sleep is most usually a sign of illness.

Anxiety and other subtly manifested symptoms

While your child may not be feverish or vomiting, they may complain of stomachaches, headaches, or fatigue. A parent’s natural instinct may be to send them to school nonetheless, but these symptoms could be subtle signals of an underlying disease such as anxiety or depression. In certain circumstances, your physician or nurse practitioner can assist you in determining the source of these potentially dangerous mental health problems.

Choosing whether or not your child should miss school

Take a look at the physical symptoms listed above. If you’re still having trouble establishing whether or not your child is unwell, consider their sickness patterns. If your child appears to be ill every Tuesday and Thursday, which happens to be physical education days, consider sending them to school anyway, making careful to inquire about this behaviour pattern and why your child does not want to go to school.

It’s also crucial to realise that everyone, including children, requires a break from time to time. Sometimes the weekend isn’t long enough for them to catch up and feel energised for the week ahead.

What if your child pretends to be ill?

As a parent, it’s critical to sit down with your child and discuss why they felt the need to fake an illness. Maybe they were experiencing problems at school and wanted to remain home; maybe they needed one-on-one time with you as their parent, or maybe they just wanted to get out of doing homework. Whatever the cause, it’s critical to get to the bottom of it and strive toward understanding what’s truly going on with your child.

Trust your parental “gut instinct”

Ultimately, a parent’s gut feeling and intuition will determine whether or not their child is truly ill. You know your child better than anyone else and will be able to tell if they are actually ill or if they are faking it. In the end, understanding your child is more important than knowing medical knowledge.