KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Catching a stomach bug from your kids this time of year, it’s par for the course if you’re a parent.

But if you’re a parent who is also a QB for the Kansas City Chiefs, it can make for a rough workday.

But here’s the thing: parents live with their kids and they breathe the same air. If you have a high-performance job there are some steps people can take to protect themselves, but it’s an uphill battle.

On Monday, the last day of the season for Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch in Liberty, kids are gearing up for a cold Halloween.

Courtney Palmer said her daughter keeps bringing stuff home from daycare and spreading it around home.

“I have a cough,” Penny Palmer said.

“She just got off an antibiotic not too long ago,” Penny Palmer, said.

Sick kids were also an issue, according to gameday reports, for Patrick Mahomes: dad of two.

“Yeah, I just started feeling bad last night,” Mahomes said while answering questions post-game. “But then I bounced back pretty well in the morning. So just trying to get out there and do whatever I can and play my best football.”

Todd Shaffer, MD is a professor of family medicine for University Health. He says the classic story is the baby gets a bug followed by the rest of the family.

“Kids are in daycare for instance. They have a little snotty nose – a runny nose all the time – you can’t really just avoid your kids the entire time they’re growing up. I mean, you’ve got to be with your kids,” Shaffer said.

“I’m sure everyone’s had the flu or something or other at some point in your lifetime – and you’re not at your best,” Shaffer said.

“You know, the older they get, the better it gets because they’re not licking doorknobs,” another mom, Stephanie Watson, said.

Doctors also say flu shots and the general covering of coughs and sneezes can help, but it’s no guarantee.

“From daycare I have gotten hand, foot, and mouth and COVID. And I will tell you that getting hand, foot, and mouth is not fun as an adult,” Courtney Palmer said.

Other doctor tips: if you’re kid is sick, favor kissing them on the top of their head. And don’t avoid consoling kids when they’re not feeling well. That parental affection is some of the best medicine out there.