Kids fake being sick for a number of reasons that may or may not be obvious to us as parents. Although your child may think that staying home is the better option, not addressing the reason for faking sick and missing out on schoolwork can be a bigger problem. Here are our suggestions for keeping your child in school where he belongs:

• It’s important to avoid giving your child rewards for missing school. Television and phone conversations should be at a minimum when your child is absent from school. If he really is sick, he will enjoy having the time to rest, and if he isn’t, he will get the message that staying home isn’t fun. If he stays home from school on a Friday, keep him home from friends’ houses and activities all weekend to continue resting.
• Talk with your child about the reasons that he's pretending to be sick, then go to his teacher or other parents and ask them what's going on at school. Sometimes children avoid school because they're being bullied, are having problems with a teacher, or are worried about their ability to keep up with their classes.