More than 40% of private sector workers have no paid sick leave, and until last week, that's been perfectly fine with our government. But now we finally have a real shot at getting this essential benefit mandated thanks to the Healthy Families Act. MomsRising.org, one of Parenting's Mom Congress partners, has been working hard on getting this issue some serious attention and we hope you'll join forces with us to get this bill passed! It has its first congressional hearing TOMORROW, so please act fast! Here's the latest from MomsRising:

"Right now there is no law that guarantees people the right to earn paid sick days to take care of themselves or their children. In fact, the very industries where you would expect paid sick days to be required (to protect public health), like home health care providers, child care workers, and folks who work in restaurants and hotels, are the LEAST likely to have them. In today's economy, folks without paid sick days can't afford to follow the CDC's advice to stay home when they, or their children, are sick--and that puts everyone at risk of exposure to illness, whether it's swine flu or any other communicable disease.

Well guess what? Some of our Congressional Representatives listened! Just last week, they introduced the Healthy Families Act, which would allow people to earn paid sick days. But we need more Congresspeople on board with us. On Thursday, the Congressional Education and Labor Committee's Workforce Protections Subcommittee will be hosting a hearing on The Healthy Families Act. This bill would guarantee seven paid sick days per year for workers at businesses with 15 or more employees, to be used to recover from routine illness, care for a sick family member, or seek services to recover from domestic violence.

Now's the time to move this Act forward. Tell your Congressperson to support the Healthy Families Act today. Click here to send a letter right now!

Are you one of the millions without paid leave? Share the outrage and tell us how it's affected your family.

"Charlie has scarlet fever."

That was the word from the pediatrician this week, and for a moment there I panicked. Do we have to burn his toys -- like the Velveteen Rabbit? Is this…the end, like Beth in Little Women?

My wife just chuckled. She had asked the doctor the same questions. It turns out that scarlet fever is pretty common, and very treatable. But I found that I'm not the only one with dark misconceptions of this bug. When I mentioned the scarlet fever to folks around the office, about half - Parenting employees, mind you - went pale with grave concern. (By the way, Charlie's symptoms have completely passed. He was running around the bedroom and doing jumping jacks later that night.)

Scarlet fever needs a new name, I think. A brand identity that's not shaded by 19th Century literature. To save parents of sick kids a little stress, I sat down with a box of Crayolas and jotted down a few ideas: Cranberry Fever, Maroonism, Fire-engine-itis. Anyone else have a catchy idea?

Got a sicky? Check our Child Symptom Checker

If you're like me (and probably most Moms), you've got a stash of Vicks in your medicine cabinet ready to rub on congested little chests. So when this headline came across my desk, "Popular Cold and Cough Treatment May Create Respiratory Distress in Young Children," and I saw that it was referring to Vicks VapoRub, my stomach sank. I love everything about the minty, mentholated stuff, and so does my 2-year-old son.

Fortunately, I happen to cover health for Parenting, so I had the opportunity to speak directly with one of the study's authors to get to the bottom of the findings, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Chest. Here's the scoop, from Bruce Rubin, M.D., professor and vice chair of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine:

The ingredients in Vicks VapoRub can irritate the airways and increase mucus production. The effect isn't huge, says Dr. Rubin, but it can be significant in infants and young children (under 2) who have very small airways to begin with. And when those pipes are already inflamed from a cold or other infection, a little bit of extra inflammation and mucus may narrow them quickly and severely.

In fact, the researchers launched the study after an 18-month-old girl came to their ER with unexplained respiratory distress. After doctors could find no usual cause (like pneumonia or asthma), they discovered that her grandparents had placed a dab of Vicks under her nose and noticed that her symptoms quickly worsened after that. Since then, they've seen three additional young children with the same reaction.

Does this mean we have to toss our tubs? Not necessarily. The study findings actually support the recommended use: Don't use it for kids under 2 and never place it directly under the nose. Rubbing it on the chest of older kids (or yourself) is the safest way to go, and can certainly bring some sense of relief. The reason? The menthol vapors actually trigger cold receptors in the nose, which tricks the body into thinking you're breathing easier, and that sensation can make anyone feel calmer and more comfortable.

Need more advice for comforting kids during cold season?

• Check out our Child Health Guide to the Common Cold
• Learn about Winter illnesses
• Winterize your baby