Working at Clorox, I always have cold and flu season at the top of my mind. After all, I am a self-proclaimed germaphobe and happily sit in my office surrounded by canisters of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes.

I pride myself on doing everything I can to help keep my family from getting the flu and spreading germs to others.  So, in addition to washing hands and trying to minimize contact with those who are sick, I also try to do my part by keeping MY family away from other people whenever any of us get sick.  I also try to keep a clean home by disinfecting surfaces to kill germs.  I will cancel play-dates and miss birthday parties, to help ensure that my sick kid doesn’t get another child sick too.

Yet despite my best efforts to be a courteous mom, my 4-year old daughter Elle unwittingly foils my intentions.

Why?  Because Elle is so completely obsessed with her own barf/coughs/nose boogers that she wants to tell everyone about them, like it's some kind of Christmas present.

The result?  I incur looks of horror (or wrath) from other moms who think that I’ve knowingly brought my barfing/coughing/phlegm-dripping child out to play among theirs.

Let me explain.

One weekend, Elle threw up an hour after going to bed.   It wasn’t pretty, but I knew that it was just due to a questionable cup of yogurt she had after dinner, rather than any real illness.   We got her cleaned up and she promptly went back to bed.

But when I took her to the playground the next day, she excitedly announced to everyone within earshot, “I BARFED last night!  And I was up really late!”  Before I can shush her or assure everyone around us that, “No, no, she really isn’t sick…it was just bad yogurt!” the damage is done.  I suffer the stares of disgust or fear from other moms who quickly shoo their children to the other side of the playground.

I contemplate saying, “It was just an upset tummy! She didn’t have a fever!  It’s not the flu! Just bad yogurt!” but that sounds weak and I feel like I'm over-explaining, so instead, we just cut our visit to the playground short that day.

I don’t know why kids think throwing up is quite an event to talk about.  Elle can literally tell you when and where she was every time she vomited since she was 2 years old—including in a bed, in a car seat, and during a visit to my husband’s office as colleagues watched in horror at what can only be described as her rendition of “The Exorcist” all over his desk.

Kids naturally love talking about themselves, learning about their own bodily functions and for my kid in particular, her fascination happens to coincide with flu-like symptoms.

Elle’s fixation can be embarrassing as I try to explain around what she says to other people. But I guess I can’t be angry when she is saying these things so innocently.   After all, I guess I’d rather be embarrassed by her “symptoms” than have her genuinely catch the flu…

Is your kid obsessed with bodily-functions?