Question: Mucus—How much is too much?

I'm serious.

Today I kept my daughter home from school today because her nose was running a bit and she was looking a little rough. I also assumed she has what I have because I assume she gave it to me (and not the other way around) but who knows. We’re all Petri dishes at this time of year. Anyway, I wasn’t feeling well so I figured she had what I had.

Wrong.

While I felt like lying on the floor this morning in a semi-gelatinous mass while she played tea party over me, she insisted I be a full-on participant, dialogue included. I was trying to doze and she kept saying, “Mommy, don’t sleep!” to which I would respond, “Mmm,” proof positive that I WASN’T asleep, just resting my eyes.

As the morning progressed, I could see that Little Miss Busy was fine, and should have gone to school, but that it was probably good that I didn’t go. (It’s a co-op; I was supposed to work that day at the school, but wasn’t in great shape for that, I can tell you.)

What do you do with an active preschooler who wants to play all day when all you want is to be snuggled up in bed drifting in and out to NPR? (I’m a wild woman). Well, you adjust. You manage. You fake it. You watch a loonnnnng DVD called "The New Shanghai Circus Presents Acrobats of China" that you bought two years ago and watch two hours of contorting, petite Chinese youth defying the laws of gravity, physics, and possibly thermodynamics.

But enough about my day. The question is, how much mucus gets a stay at home free card? Obviously if it’s any color on the spectrum, or it’s prolific, it’s home again home again jiggidy jig. But if it’s clear, and not copious? I used to think I should keep the kids home even in this situation. But since it happens EVERY OTHER DAY and judging by today’s energetic performance, my daughter was fine, is fine, and I was projecting my gnarliness on her. So I’m wondering how sick is too sick? A fever equals sick, certainly. Vomiting within 24 hours? Sick. Stay home. These are easy. The Mucus Question is far more nuanced. I ask you to think about it, if your stomachs can handle it, and get back to me.