Obsessed with going to the nurse?

My daughter is in kindergarten and finds any excuse to go to the nurse. It's getting worse as the school year goes on.

She LOVES school and her teacher. And her friends in her class. I've asked her numerous times if there is a problem in her class that makes her want to leave class. Nothing. I asked her if she likes the nurses alot. She said she likes them but not as much as her teacher.

Each morning, as I get her ready for school, she will say something like "I think my knee (or replace with other random body part) will hurt me today." I tell her not to go to nurse unless she is feeling really sick or gets hurt. And sure enough, a few hours later, the nurse calls and says "Genevieve has been complaining of knee (or other random body part) pain"

1. I'm getting TIRED of these calls. I never know if she's really sick (when it's a tummy ache or headache) so I feel bad telling them I wont come get her (but she always is fine for the rest of the day) I only got her once when she dry heaved but she was FINE (both her and Billy have bad gag reflexes and I am pretty sure thats what happened this time but did not want to leave her there to infect other kids if she was in fact sick)

2. Would it be weird if I emailed her teacher and asked if a)There is something going on in class or b) to try and discourage or redirect her from going to the nurse

I know this sounds stupid, but I seriously get called 3-4 times a week. I LIVED at the nurse in elementary school bc I loved her, but she acts like she doesnt even care for them. Is this normal?!?!?!

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

My son was like that in the beginning of kindergarten. One day they called me cause he would not open his eye and he was obviously hurt. I went in to look at him and made him open his eye...which was fine. So I sent him back to class. After that the nurse kind of got the picture to send him back to class unless he is really hurt/sick.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

I had a little girl do this all the time (2nd grade) & she told me she loved school etc., but almost every day "something" hurt her. Finally I started telling her the nurse wasn't there & would try to distract her. It took maybe 2-3 days & she stopped asking to go. Honestly, I'd talk to the teacher.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

When my dd was in kindergarten she was t the nurse daily. Her teacher was extremely cold so i think she went for some TLC, the nurse is a sweetheart. I was told that a lot kindergarten kids go for a visit, and as they get older it gets better. Our nurse never called unless it was serious though.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

"I" did this myself after moving to LI in 2nd grade

For me, it was that I just had an overall dislike for my new school and wanted to be home with my mom....

Mine ended as the little girl who cried wolf because the one day I genuinely was sick, my teacher (probably under the instruction of my mom) would not allow me to go to the nurse and THATS the time I had a fever and was honestly not feeling well...

That was what snapped me out of it....Do you think she would grasp the concept of "The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf" and be able to apply it to her own situation?

It's probably just a phase

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

My DD does this - she is at the nurse apparently much more than I knew, as I recently found out. The teacher and nurse do try to determine whether it's bogus or not before calling. I know that's not always easy to tell and they want to err on the side of caution esp if, God forbid, a child was ill or really in pain and they didn't call - but if you're seeing the same child, esp a younger one, often for different ailments, some of it is bogus. I don't know why my DD loves going to the nurse bc she loves her teacher and her class (1st grade). She's not usually a hypochondriac. I think it's a phase and maybe they just mentally need a break and don't know how to say so or ask for one. KWIM? Where another type of child might meltdown or act out? I'm just guessing so it may be for another reason but it's stuff like this that makes me realize how really little they are. If it was an older grade, I would be more worried about it as a habit.

It sounds like you already have a relationship with the nurse since you get a lot of calls. I would try to determine with the nurse whether she thinks it's valid or not. We've had the nurse call and then tell us we do not need to get her but she needed to make the call to the parents as a rule.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

I also did this to my mom when I started 2nd grade. It was because I missed my mom and wanted to be with her. It was also the same time that my mom went back to work part time (since my brother was in kindergarten). When she had my brother, I knew she was home, but when I knew she was at work (because he was in school now), it was almost like I needed to know she was home 'just in case'.

My teacher understood what was going on, and would give me a hug and tell me that it was ok, my mom would see me in a little bit.

I usually felt sick to my stomach right after lunch time, but looking back, it was the feeling of missing my mom.

Message edited 1/20/2011 10:56:35 AM.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

DS discovered the nurse in first grade.

He was bored, and wanted an excuse to walk around. He would finish his work early, or read quickly through the assignment and not want to be in his seat. The teacher caught this before I did and let him keep a book in his desk to read when he finished before everyone else.

Problem solved.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

Jordan has done this at some point every year until this one.
The nurse called me and said that "Jordan has become a frequent flyer" LOL
She learned her lesson after going to the nurse one time last year with a raging ear ache. The nurse called me, we both decided she was lying and made her go back to class. She went to the nurse a few more times that day and as per my instructions(No fever, No vomit) she was sent back to class.
Well...
She came off the bus in tears, I took her to the Dr and she has such a bad ear infection that she has a buldging ear drum.
I told her all about the boy who cried wolf, lesson was finally learned.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

Melanie had been going to the nurse at least 3-4 times a week. Every.single.time. I picked her up from school we would get home and she'd be perfectly fine for the rest of the day. Her excuses were her leg/arm/ear/forehead/etc. hurt.

So, one day I get a call that her head hurts. It is the second time that week I was called to pick her up and I had it. So I went and picked her up, it was around 11:45. We get home, and she is jumping around, playing with her brothers. So what did I do? I told her we were going back in the car, and I drove her right back to school. Forced her to go back. She cried like a baby and everyone there thought I was nuts but guess what? She never goes to the nurse anymore.

Re: Obsessed with going to the nurse?

My older son was like this.

He visited the nurse EVERY DAY when he was in K. (Now he's in 3rd and NEVER goes to the nurse).

The first few months I would pick him up every time. I thought he was sick, but he'd come home and be FINE!

I spoke to the teacher and through some examination realized...

...the kid was AFRAID TO POOP IN SCHOOL and he had stomach cramps and headaches (from worrying about having to poop).

We started a poop regimine (
) in the morning before he left for school...and till this day, he always has to go before school.

Hopefully you'll find out the cause of her frequent visits. But know, it doesn't last forever!