It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, crisp air, crowded stores, holiday cheer and sick children. Sick child actually but in four years of children we have never had a sick child, two days for one, a community sick day, and then two days for the other. Last Christmas they had the stomach flu, 10 days of flu. We spent Christmas Eve in the waiting room at the pediatrician. For Independence Day they went with Hand, Foot and Mouth, not Mad Cow as I thought, but a fairly common childhood malady. We're dealing with a hybrid right now, what appears to be a nasty cold combined with a stomach flu, oh yes, Thanksgiving!
When they are sick, I am not the best mom. I race around, Clorox Hard Surface Sanitizing Spray attached to my hand, cleaning furiously, afraid to slow down and let the germ parade march any further into my apartment. And while I love my Clorox, my real best tool is my memory, because when I was four and sick, I loved having someone hold me. Being sick is scary, especially when you have no idea what is happening or why. Even now, if I could get a big Dad hug on the days when I'm feeling under the weather, I'm certain that would do more for me than any amount of Tylenol Cold. And so I have to put my phobias aside, climb into bed with my girls, hold them close, rub their backs and let them know that tomorrow they can have water, tomorrow will be a better day.
Although I do thoroughly wash my hands about every 15 minutes.
NorthSideFour: You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child. Dr. Suess
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