Sick kids suck. Doesn't matter how old they are, how many of them you have, whether or not you work or stay home...sick kids suck. It's a fact. I've never heard any mother ever say that she hoped her kids would get sick. It just doesn't happen. As mommies we try our damnedest to keep our kidlets healthy. And when they do succumb to whatever cooties that happen to be going around, we do what we can to make them feel better.
So how does this frazzled Master Momma to three deal when one (or more, but usually only one - Janna) of her brood gets sick? Well...it's hard. The hardest thing? There's only one of me...and three of them. There's only so much lap, so many hands, so much patience, and so much time in the day. Inevitably, someone is going to get ignored.
Janna is my "sickie" - my "Ear Infection Queen". Her ears hate her. When she hurts (which lately is just about every freaking day)? We all hurt. Not only does her screaming send us all running for ear plugs (seriously...that child's cries are like fingernails on chalk boards), but it also sends the bigger kids into a frenzy. They know I'm going to be busy trying to console Janna, so they do everything in their power to be...well, needy. And annoying. I understand why they do it - they don't want to be ignored. And they're totally jealous of the fact that Janna's get all kinds of extra attention. Again...I get it. It's just frustrating. And we all know how much patience I don't have - we also know how well I deal with frustration.
Struggling with sick kids is hard for anyone. But when you're basically alone? It's even worse. Jon works all day so he's of no help unless it's really bad, and I have no parents or in-laws close by to offer some assistance. Sure I have friends that are more than willing to watch a kid (or two), and I have had to lean on them pretty hard at times (thankyouthankyouthankyou to those buddies!!). But I hate doing that. I don't want to shove a potentially germ-ridden kid into their potentially germ-free home - and vice versa (I don't want to shove a potentially germ-free kid into their potentially germ-ridden home).
Last week there was no school (F-you Upstate NY) - and guess what? My kids were all sick! The Big Hosers had nasty viruses, and Janna had a double ear infection (which ended up rupturing her eardrum). The first time we went to the pediatrician's office I dragged all three kids with me - and it was nothing short of hell. The second time? I broke down and begged for help. I canceled the third appointment. F it.
The only good thing about sick kids? They sleep. A lot. Or at least they do up here. They're also really content to sprawl on the couch and watch movie after movie. Without begging for snacks. I'm off the hook for entertaining them when they're sick.
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