Poor MeToo has an upset tummy. I went into her room this morning to find a mess in her bed. The remnants of the yellow peppers, tomatoes, and carrots she ate for dinner last night were colorful. But they certainly didn't belong on her sheets. "Look Mama!" She pointed to them when she saw me. Then laid back down on her mercifully-clean pillow.
BestestHusband was raised in a family that wasn't allowed to get sick. If you weren't actively bleeding to death, you went to school. So, since MeToo didn't look too bad, we sent her to the breakfast table to get ready for preschool. I was scheduled to work. Perhaps she'd be just fine. We gave her dry cereal, just in case. The cereal went down just fine. The watered-down juice was immediately puked back up. This wouldn't play well at preschool. I called my boss to break the bad news.
My first thought was, "WAH-HOO!!! I can stay home and get caught up on laundry!!!"
Is that bad? I mean, it's just an upset tummy. She's not miserable, her color is good, she'll take a long nap and watch PBS. We'll go to the store and get some applesauce and jello. She'll be fine. She was actually happy to be staying home with me. So that means I can be happy too, right? I mean, as long as we get some good snuggle time, it's still a good day, right? We laid on the couch and watched Sesame Street together. I rubbed her tummy, and she was happy. Certainly I can appreciate the silver lining of a sick day? Right?
Ok, so I'm feeling a bit guilty about my first reaction to our sick day. I promise that I'd feel sorrier for her if she seemed sicker... She hasn't thrown up since breakfast. Other than lethargy and audible tummy gurgling, she's been fine. No crying, no whimpering. Maybe I should make myself worry more. Maybe I should be more sympathetic?
Is it ok to feel happy about a sick day? At least it's better than grumbling about the pay I'm foregoing by not working today...
Yeesh, we moms really can find anything to feel guilty about! But wait, I don't really feel very guilty. Maybe I should feel more guilty...
Ok, I'll do penance by cleaning all of the floors while she's napping, too. (Yippeee!!!)
Maybe it is just going around...I know another sweet girl about her age who had a couple of pukes recently (although one can be attributed to the challenges of a trans-atlantic flight.)
ReplyDeleteI used to dread sick days - this year I actually wished someone would have one so I could have a day at home! Yes, feeling guilty about that...
Doesn't anyone feel guilty about sending their kid to school when they're not feeling well and need some recovery time? Or about knowingly exposing everyone else's kids to a stomach virus?
ReplyDeleteI think parents have a responsibility to keep their children home when they're obviously (or even probably) contagious. Why feel guilty about taking a sick day when your kid needs it? And if you enjoy it as much as possible while they get their rest, why not?
Keeping your kids home when they're sick is the responsible thing to do to keep germs from spreading and keep kids from suffering. I wouldn't even consider sending my child to school if she woke up in puke. Even if she seemed like she could make it through a school day, it's inconsiderate of the other kids and families.
I'm sorry if I've gone off on something of a rant, but this is a topic that really irks me.