When your kid's face is bright red, that means he's overheated.

Mateo has been slightly sick since this weekend; mostly he has an annoying phlegmy cough, but he did have a slight fever Monday night. By yesterday he was fine, just still had the cough, which won't go away for a couple of weeks.

My husband dropped him off at daycare, and he, being the bigger worry wort of the two of us, called around 2pm to see how Mateo was doing. He was told by one of the daycare ladies that he wasn't doing too well and that he didn't want to eat. At the moment he was sleeping, and had been sleeping for two hours. There was mention of him not acting the same either. Especially outside. My husband was worried and felt Mateo was taking a "turn for the worse." I decided I should probably leave a bit early to go get him, just in case something was wrong with him.

I walked into the daycare room, and Mateo was being sat down at the little toddler table, with a bottle thrust into his hands. From the door I could see Mateo's face was bright red. From past experience, we realized that Mateo doesn't do so well outside in the heat. Yesterday went as high at the 90's or maybe a little more. Today may go to the 100's. The first thing I thought was: He's overheated and that's the only thing that's wrong with him.

The lady who was in charge of him that day told me her spiel about how he wasn't eating, and this and that and on and on, and I listened, all the while thinking, he's too hot, HE'S TOO FREAKING HOT!!!! Then she said, "...and it's not the heat." Like she read my mind.

Hello? It's not? We're in a heatwave! Who let's their small children, who can only communicate on a basic level of grunts, nos, thats and points, outside to run around and overheat? My kid overheats by just laying on his side for too long when sleeping!

I like to give the ladies at daycare the benefit of the doubt, so I just left and packed Mateo into our car, turned the AC up full blast and got him home. When we went inside our condo, I took his shoes and socks off, and then his shirt. Then I turned the AC on. After about 10 minutes of being cooled off, the color of Mateo's face turned his normal shade of swarthiness, and he devoured a banana I fed him. I waited a bit after the banana, then started getting his dinner together. He pretty much pigged out like he hadn't eaten for days.

There was nothing wrong with my child except TOO MUCH HEAT!

Today I wrote on his paper that he can't go outside today or tomorrow, and then told the morning lady the same thing. She agreed that it's not good for the little ones to go outside, and said she'd make sure everyone knew. She also said the older ladies "don't think" when it comes to stuff like that.

My goodness. Heads will roll if my kid goes outside today. And I'll know. Bright red face = Mateo went outside. And they'll get theirs. Oh yes.