Long whine – Our schools have a ridiculous absence, late and early checkout policy that has parents calling the pede and begging for notes even when the pede won’t see your child. Three times without a note and the parents get summoned before a local judge who awards the parents with detention. The biggest problem with this policy is that frequently your child is just too sick to go to school but not sick enough to bother the pede. The pede office has countered this assault on their time by putting in a screening process which means you must FIRST explain to the front office why your child must be seen before they will grant you the honor of an appointment. Skip ahead to today. I called the pede and told them what lab work I needed before they would give me an appointment. I checked Tommy out early and took him to the pede, mentally flogging myself not to forget the doctor’s note for school. After waiting 30 minutes past my appointment time, the doctor looked at the chart and said “I can’t do this. You’ll have to take him to Children’s Hospital (they won’t do bloodwork for any other doctor even if it’s a psychiatrist who CAN’T do bloodwork). Get your co-pay back from the front desk.” I waited at the front desk while the staff ate cookies given to them by a drug rep until they glanced my way and said “You need something else?” I handed them the note from the doctor saying that I needed my co-pay refunded and as they did so I asked for a school note. “We don’t give school notes if you don’t pay your co-pay.” What?!? I had barely started my lecture about why they were wrong when someone else in the office walked over and gave me a school note along with a scowl. Argh!