8 Reasons Being Sick with Kids Sucks

8 Reasons Being Sick with Kids Sucks

It seemed like it should have been a normal day. Kids wake up wanting cuddles, then milk and O’s while watching television as my husband and I slowly rise for the day. It didn’t work that way, though. When trying to rise, I felt like I was fighting the law of gravity, “No, really, I can get up.” “Nope, you’re going down!” Here it was, 6:30 a.m., and I was going down with the achy-breaky flu.

Having the flu sucks in general. Having the flu while caring for 2 and 5-year-olds takes it to a whole ‘nother level. I learned some lessons that day. I call this my “8 Reasons Why Being Sick with Kids Sucks… And a Couple Reasons That Life is Great!”

The Sucky Part
1. A gentle pat on the foot by your husband as he leaves for work is no substitute for staying home to take care of the kids so Mom can rest.

2. Why is it that the sweet hand bell ring of your children’s voices suddenly becomes the CLANGING GONGING BONG of church bells in an overhead tower when you’re sick?

3. There are only so many times Mommy can say, “Please be quiet. Mommy’s head hurts,” before devious thoughts enter sweet Mommy’s head.

4. No one ever seems to call or come over to see a stay-at-home mom unless she is achy, wasted, laid-out tired and can barely get out of bed.

5. Have you ever enjoyed the sensation of feeling like there’s a fiendish gnome in your head, using pick axes to bust through your sinuses and bash through the sensitive parts of your forehead? Hmmm… it’s fun.

6. Mommy-guilt comes in full-tilt while turning on Dora™ for the fourth time in a row so Mom can rest.

7. Hearing “Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Dora” for the fourth time in a row grinds worse than the proverbial nails on a chalkboard. “You are not supercool, Duh-Duh-Dora, when I have a pounding headache and barely the energy to push play one more time so that my children can repeat everything you say three times in a row for the next 20-25 minutes!”

8. No further explanation is needed than to just say, “Being sick sucks!”

The Good Stuff
But then, something happens, and you remember that:
1. Before patting your foot, your husband was the one that got the children their O’s and milk and started the morning routine, leaving you to sleep in your own warm bed.

2. That annoying neighbor that knocked on the backdoor (and MADE you get out of your warm, comforting bed!) saw how haggard you looked and asked the kids to come over to her house for a couple hours so Mommy could rest.

3. As your oldest child quickly rushed back in to fill a cup of water (how frustrating – just go already!), she turned around and handed the glass to you: “This is for you, Mommy!” Then she hugged you and ran out the door.

4. Mommy was left looking back on her day and saying, “Wow, what a bunch of blessings I have!”

Remember, friends, it is so easy to get wrapped up in the sucky badness of a day or situation and forget that life is filled with blessings. They just tend to be quieter and more humble than the daily meanies. Sometimes it requires us to take the time to look for them, like charms hidden in the bottom of a jewelry box. But there they are. And when we discover them, they shine all the more brightly. It seems then that the list of “sucky parts” isn’t really quite as important as we once thought.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Now, please, share a jewel with us and help your and our hearts to shine!

Written By: Lisa Liebling