I’m into day two of sick days with my daughter. After she finished crying this morning when I told her she had to stay home another day, she began listing the crafts we were going to make. This after more than two hours of crafting with her yesterday.
Sick days are not what they used to be. When I was a kid, a sick day meant I never left my bedroom. I slept the entire day. I always felt like I’d been run over. My kids? Never. Well, except for the nasty stomach bug we all had last year when none of us could lift a pinky. My kids play the day away like it’s a mini vacation. If they sleep for 30 minutes, they’re up past my bedtime.
I must have missed the lesson on sick days: Don’t play with your kids. Don’t make it fun. Give them castor oil and keep them weighted in their beds with layer upon layer of leaden blankets.
Instead, I get stuck with, “Mommy, do you have any crafts for me to do?” Or, “Let’s play ponies.” Sure, it’s nice to have a day alone with them, just the two of us. But when they’re at school, I do things. When they’re home, I don’t get to do my things. And around day two, I get antsy. And I’m out of craft ideas. And then I start to get a tickle in my throat or a cough or whatever germs they’re spreading.
The whole decision to even keep one of my kids home is often a struggle to begin with. Fevers and puking are easy to figure out. But my daughter gets these annoying coughs. What to do? How long to keep her home for that when she otherwise feels pretty good? Many times I’ve kept a well kid home or sent a sick kid in. It’s rarely a winning situation for me.
When my husband came home at lunch today, my daughter raced around the house, laughing and yelling.
As my husband was leaving to go back to work, he said, “I’m glad you kept her home today since she was really sick, Dear.” Yep. That’s exactly what I was thinking.
Mom in the Muddle 
We had to stay on the couch all day. No play. I’ve made the rule: no fever, nose is not running like faucet…you’re going to school. Colds last weeks!
That’s what their doctor and my husband both say too. But I think a constant cough has merit sometimes too, but usually just for a day. I guess today I panicked. She’ll still be coughing in two weeks!
Pups have energy we forget we ever had. Soooooo, there’s this game called “Sick-o-search.” Hide a snack somewhere in the house and give the sickee a not to clear clue, which takes them to another clue, and so on. You can write them up in ten minutes, keep them busy all morning or (?) with the understanding they’re strictly on their own. It works.
Sandy
It’s the “strictly on their own” part that’s the trouble. ; ) Will put it in my sick day file. Thanks.