gabrielle, I too see this abuse of the system everyday in the hospital where I work, but I think you are being an advocate for the wrong reasons. Your reasons are appropriate for your situation, but many think they're situation is the same as yours and its not even close.
Noone is saying kids who are sick shouldnt be taken to the ER. It's more like tattoo girl, paper cuts, etc. ppl that should be seen in an office or CLINIC. And even so, as a Mom I feel confident in saying I agree young kids with sickness should be in the ER if it's after hours, etc HOWEVER, once kids are 4, 5, 6, and so on...as their parent...YOU SHOULD RECOGNIZE that your kid is sick for gosh sakes LONG before it gets to the point of dehydration, etc and they should have been in the OFFICE long before it gets to that point. In my personal opinion unless a child of that age has a skyrocketing fever past 105, (yes PAST 105...temps that high are PERFECTLY normal in children) or are not peeing (due to dehydration) they shouldnt be going to the ER. Suck it up and stick it out and take them to the office asap. Kids get sick. usually symptoms are much worse or seem much worse at night- often after office hours. Parents need to learn to take care of their sick kids. And any parent that cant take 2 seconds to notice their child is getting sick is a poor parent. Just my opinion I know, but this is the one thing as a nurse and as a Mom that I see on a daily business that makes me irate. If you call ur office and the DOCTOR on call isn't concerned enough to have you go to the ER, then you shouldnt be either!