<p>I'm seeking advice from more experienced boarding school parents - when your BS kid is sick, and you would be fussing over them and spoiling them at home, have you come up with any way to spoil them from a long distance instead? My DD just texted me that she's in the health center with a virus and I'm missing my chance to baby her!</p>
<p>Yes, I realize this is 99.99% about making me feel better and only 0.01% about DD actually feeling better...</p>
<p>Had the same experience with my DS. I wanted to do <em>something</em>…but couldn’t. Thought maybe flowers/balloons? But a male coworker assured me that they would just embarrass him. (Totally right! Glad he was there to talk me down.) Maybe they would be nice to send to a daughter? Anyway, in the end, I never really came up with anything I could do besides call the nurse on duty and check in on him. Frustrating!</p>
<p>Does your school’s dining service offer treat baskets to order? Several times, I have ordered an appropriate treat basket (exam, Valentine’s, birthday, Halloween, healthy snacks, thinking-of-you) for our son from the dining service website to be delivered to him during those times when I wish I could be there but can’t. Of course, if the illness includes a sick stomach or loss of appetite, food treats aren’t a good option. Perhaps a favorite stuffed animal from home and a copy of “Good Night Moon”… ;)</p>
<p>You’d be amazed at how many friends, advisers, nurses will keep a sick kid’s spirits up (although nothing beats Mom!) But, getting well without Mom does have its advantages, too. As you get better, it really makes you feel like you did something on your own and that it turned out ok. It gives you a sense that you can get well without family. It’s maturing.</p>
<p>We were on the other side of the country and so we did enjoy sending a care package and making a number of annoying calls / texts to our son.</p>
<p>I went overboard - went to Amazon and sent a vaporizer, cough drops, snacks, the works. But it turned out her friends and the infirmary were on the case. Still, I think calling and talking some soothing words made her feel like she was still at home. And getting a care package with goodies. A Skype sessions sometimes helps because you can see and send a smile.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone. She’s already feeling better. But I might send a cake anyway, because everyone could use a little sugar in the middle of winter, right?</p>