Sick Days

Little Man was recently sick for almost a week with a virus and eventual war infection. Thankfully he had no other real symptoms other than a fever that just stubbornly hung on. We rested, begged him to eat and drink, and enjoyed lots of time on the couch watching the Olympics. Even the cat sat with him, when normally she would rather be anywhere else.  He first started feeling ill at school while I was out of town for the day, and though I was able to get home that afternoon I also had online class that night. The working parent guilt is real, as is the rejection that comes from being the non-preferred parent. All I wanted was Little Man to feel better, but for awhile there it didn't seem I had what he needed. Any hug or reassurance only seemed to help if it came from Husband. When I had to take over so Husband could go to work I became a reasonable alternative, but watching your kid be sick is no fun for anyone in the family. 

Often when making the sick kid decisions -- when to give meds, whether to call the doctor -- the advice given is to "trust your gut". The problem, I find, is that I have no idea what my gut is telling me. I don't want to overreact, but underreacting and waiting for time and nature to take its course is frustrating. When the fever would jump up Little Man became a different person; seeing him so lethargic and weakened was such a contrast to his normal cheerful energy. Getting him to eat or drink felt like a high-pressure business negotiation, and even favorite foods went untouched on his plate. A trip to urgent care that ruled out flu or strep was reassuring, but at the same time there is a sense of foolishness felt when the (very kind) doctor shrugs their shoulders and says there is nothing to do but wait it out. Obviously we were grateful it was nothing serious, but not being able to just solve it feels like a parenting failure.

At the end of the day illness, whether it's yours or someone else's, is life's way of humbly slowing you down. Pajamas all day? Sure, why not. PBJ sandwiches instead of cooking a meal? If that's what the patient wants...Extra screen time? Gotta conserve energy somehow. Yes it can be inconvenient to figure out who is missing work or school and rescheduling other obligations, but the relief when life's energy finally returns to normal is huge. We are all ready to get back on routine, but it helps sometimes to take the slower road to get there.