Sorry for the inflammatory headline.

I mean, I’ll take them if they get really, really sick.  Or get a bad cut that requires stitches. And for their shots and regular check-ups. But a cold? A fever? A rash? My first instinct is always to wait. Which is why my local Mom’s Facebook group drives me crazy.

This is what happens: A mom will post something about their kid having a runny nose or various sickness and she will ask the other mothers if she should go to Urgent Care. And literally every commenter will tell her she should go!  [Below is my rendition of what my FB Mother’s Group feed looks like, complete with adorable babies and multiple exclamation points.]

And I just want to say: “Um, it’s probably a cold. You don’t really need to take him to the doctor. Kids get sick.”

BUT I DON’T POST THAT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO SEEM LIKE A BAD MOTHER.

I’ve taken Sam when he’s been sick enough to warrant it and they go: “Seems like a virus. Give him Tylenol.”

I’ve taken him when he’s had a weird rash. And they go, “It’s a rash. Give him Tylenol.”

I’ve taken him when he’s thrown up. And they go, “It’s a stomach bug. Make sure he’s hydrated.”

And then my insurance charges me $100 for the pleasure (less if I’ve met my deductible).

Do these women like sitting in waiting rooms with sick children? Do they work? Do they think it’s some “Contagion” like sickness that has never been seen before? And if it is, that their local pediatrician would be able to spot it and then cure it?

AHHHH!

But I stay silent. And do not say that they should just hold tight and that kids get sick and it stinks but doctors can do very, very little for them. And the only reason the doctor is probably seeing them is because they don’t want to get a bad YELP review (and because they get paid) and who probably  have to force themselves to seem sympathetic.

And yet — and this is my secret shame — the next time one of my kids get sick, I will have an argument with Nat about if we should take the kids to Urgent Care and I will say no and he will say yes and I will win but then I will have a nagging feeling in my gut that I’m making the wrong call and that maybe $100 is worth it to place the blame on someone else, just in case?