Around with the Sickness
We’re all sick, I guess. Every human in our household is kind of sick, with a nose that kind of runs, an airway that kind of wheezes, and an attitude that kind of sucks. Since the boys are too young to tell me what’s wrong and Abbie is too ornery to say anything, I have to guess what hurts, and how to help.
I’m not complaining about the mild ambiguity, just stating our situation. I know there are plenty of parents who would gladly trade their child’s howlingly painful ears and nuclear green poo and for our children’s vaguely runny noses.
I conquered my last cold a couple weeks ago, and it’s starting to feel like someone is always sick in our house. Person #1 finds a virus, passes it down to person #2, who in turn passes it to person #3, and so on until everyone but the dog has the same cold, and I’m not sure about the dog because I don’t check her nose’s runniness often. By the time person #5 vanquishes the virus, the next germs are already attacking person #1, keeping the cycle moving. Even in those rare times when no one is sick, a grandparent probably is sick following a recent visit, giving us the chance to simulate sickness in our home every time we call.
I know exactly what’s wrong with me, or at least what’s wrong with my sinuses. My throat is kind of sore and my nose is kind of runny. I just tough it out during the day, and take a kind of effective dose of Benadryl at night to help sleep. Ellie is suffering through similar symptoms and is treating herself in a similar way, at least when her job lets her sleep.
The kids are more mysterious. Some days Abbie poops four times before lunch, other days her plumbing is running normally. Sometimes her nose is running and her shirt is soaked with drool, other times her front is dry. Sometimes she doesn’t want to eat unless Goldfish are involved, other times she cleans her broccoli and asks for more. Sometimes she screams for no reason, other times she has a perfectly good reason for screaming. I’m shrugging over these symptoms and proceeding normally except for the Benadryl before sleep.
The boys are even more puzzling. Sometimes their noses run, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they’re absurdly cranky, other times they’re as cranky as usual. I’m treating them exactly like Abbie, which is not much.
Abbie was the first to get sick, as Ellie discovered when she was running a slight fever a couple days ago, though now her temperature seems normal. When I noticed the cold appearing, I took steps to protect the boys, limiting her contact with them and washing everything frequently. That lasted about a day. I quickly saw everyone freely swapping germs as Abbie poked her brothers around their faces, shared in their Tasteeos, and threw sippy cups for them to practice drinking. I gave up, let Abbie kiss them goodnight, and saw everyone wake with runny noses the next morning. Now it’s Benadryl all around, including me.
I’m not complaining about the mild ambiguity, just stating our situation. I know there are plenty of parents who would gladly trade their child’s howlingly painful ears and nuclear green poo and for our children’s vaguely runny noses.
I conquered my last cold a couple weeks ago, and it’s starting to feel like someone is always sick in our house. Person #1 finds a virus, passes it down to person #2, who in turn passes it to person #3, and so on until everyone but the dog has the same cold, and I’m not sure about the dog because I don’t check her nose’s runniness often. By the time person #5 vanquishes the virus, the next germs are already attacking person #1, keeping the cycle moving. Even in those rare times when no one is sick, a grandparent probably is sick following a recent visit, giving us the chance to simulate sickness in our home every time we call.
I know exactly what’s wrong with me, or at least what’s wrong with my sinuses. My throat is kind of sore and my nose is kind of runny. I just tough it out during the day, and take a kind of effective dose of Benadryl at night to help sleep. Ellie is suffering through similar symptoms and is treating herself in a similar way, at least when her job lets her sleep.
The kids are more mysterious. Some days Abbie poops four times before lunch, other days her plumbing is running normally. Sometimes her nose is running and her shirt is soaked with drool, other times her front is dry. Sometimes she doesn’t want to eat unless Goldfish are involved, other times she cleans her broccoli and asks for more. Sometimes she screams for no reason, other times she has a perfectly good reason for screaming. I’m shrugging over these symptoms and proceeding normally except for the Benadryl before sleep.
The boys are even more puzzling. Sometimes their noses run, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they’re absurdly cranky, other times they’re as cranky as usual. I’m treating them exactly like Abbie, which is not much.
Abbie was the first to get sick, as Ellie discovered when she was running a slight fever a couple days ago, though now her temperature seems normal. When I noticed the cold appearing, I took steps to protect the boys, limiting her contact with them and washing everything frequently. That lasted about a day. I quickly saw everyone freely swapping germs as Abbie poked her brothers around their faces, shared in their Tasteeos, and threw sippy cups for them to practice drinking. I gave up, let Abbie kiss them goodnight, and saw everyone wake with runny noses the next morning. Now it’s Benadryl all around, including me.
posted by Matt at
11:44 PM
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