Working Mom Tips: Five Ways to Keep Your Family Safe When the Flu, Enterovirus D68 and Ebola Exist in the World

My kids enjoying pizza

All mothers worry about their kids. We worry because we know too much and feel like we can do too little if something major happens. After all, diseases are more powerful than we are. We are just moms…

Working moms can sometimes feel a heightened level of anxiety as it relates to protecting our kids. We are not there all of the time. And our absence can make us feel like our kids are more vulnerable.
While we accept that we may have little control over the threat that is Ebola, we believe that nobody can protect our kids better than we can because we love them best of all.

The truth is we are right and we are wrong. Diseases are powerful, but moms are powerful too. While we may not be able to eliminate deadly viruses with a single hug we can do a lot to minimize the likelihood that our kids contract a deadly disease. And even though we aren't with our kids all of the time, there are things that we can do to increase their safety.

The great news is, these things are not hard, costly or time consuming. Indeed, a little effort goes a long way.

Five Tips to Keep Your Family Safe This Flu Season

1. Wash your hands. I am so committed to keeping my hands clean that I give Howard Hughes a run for his money. We pick up so many germs walking around during our day that I wash my hands before meals, after using the bathroom, when I come into the house from being outside, after touching door handles, after changing the baby's diaper, after picking up my shoes... You get the idea. I wash my hands a lot. I am teaching my daughter to be the same way.
2. Be mindful of germy environments. I have the kids change their clothes after coming into the house from playing at the playground or the museum. I go to hospitals for my job and shower as soon as I come home after visiting one.
3. Take off your shoes indoors. Your shoes are DIRTY! They go through mud, rain, sleet, and grime. That makes them harbors of germs. We don't wear shoes in our house. I try to get all visitors to comply too. However, some simply ignore me. I think I'm going to post a sign... 
4. Wash Your Clothes. My kids wear their clothes only once. Then, I wash them. The baby's clothes are often visibly dirty. So, that makes it easy. However, since my daughter is in preschool with all of the other germy kids, I prefer to have the clothes cleaned each time. Laundry machines can kill lots of germs.
5. Avoid sick people. Kids have vulnerable immune systems. It's best to have them avoid sick people. 

Articles that contain more helpful tips to keep your family safe

Ebola in the ER: What you should and shouldn’t worry about

What Parents Need to Know about Enterovirus D68

As Flu Season Starts, Doctors Remind Public That Flu Is Bigger Threat Than Ebola (kktv.com)

The Summer Cold That Became Something More (theatlantic.com)