The Flu Saga

We have had our house rocked by the flu. Just when I was breathing a sigh of relief after getting through the winter months without any deep cough or other illness, we come face to face with a horrific illness that blessedly strikes one boy then the next without warning.

N lasted 6 days before he was able to keep down water for any length of time. He came within a hair's breath of going in to have an IV at our local, highly incompetant hospital facility. My youngest became ill the same day as his brother began his recovery. I am so thankful that the two boys didnt overlap their downtime because I was on laundry duty around the clock and would have run out of linen if there were two patients.

Talking to other mothers in the area by phone, I was struck with the knowledge that illness means different things to different mothers. Some see it as simply an inconvenience. Having to take time out from work, extra dishes, laundry, *effort* to coax your child back to health. I see it as a time that the children need support of a very primal sort. Simple touch is often the only thing they seek. Their inner spark is dampened with the disease and they only wish to be held by me. There is no need for conversation, entertainment or other forms of interaction.

The timeframe from the end of the actual illness to the child feeling like their energetic, ol' self again seems to be the most frustrating, if my off the cuff survey is correct. There is something difficult about nurturing our kids for the sake of simply getting them ready to take on the world again.

One mom of 4 states," I am ready to turn in my mommy card today! My kids are no longer running fevers or running to the bathroom, but they still insist on me waiting on them." another mom has this to say: " My daughter is driving me crazy! She can't possiby feel sick after all this time and she is still whining about the food that I am offering her. I KNOW she is faking it!"

It is especially difficult as parents when we can feel/see/hear our personal list of *things to do* growing longer and our kids are still needing us to stop what we are doing and tend to them. I am two weeks behind myself. I can hear my deadline alarm clock going off in my head as day after day the work piles up. I wish that I could get all caught up but I also know that my little guy is still sick and its my job first and formost to run bucket duty. He expects it as well he should.

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