Dear world,
I need a sick day.
I know the web doesn’t need another post about the hardships of motherhood but, seriously, sickness has got to be one the worst aspects of this gig.
We’ve been indoors for days. The older two girls won’t stop fighting. My husband is away and I haven’t slept in four nights. We’ve had two hospital trips, been through four boxes of tissues, a bottle of Nurofen, a jar of Manuka honey and the whole house smells of breathe-easy essential oils. The baby just wants to be in my arms and I just want to be in my bed.
What other job doesn’t allow for sick days? The chores don’t stop, the dog still needs walking and there is more crying than usual (and don’t assume it is just the kids!).
It is one of the aspects of motherhood I really haven’t managed to conquer: how do you parent well when you are all sick?
So, this morning I decided I needed to change my attitude if we were going to survive another day together at home. I got a bit of craft together and the girls decorated eggs; we pulled out the polymer clay and made rainbows and butterflies while Thea (1 yr old) taste tested it; and I found enough energy to make a DIY pasta threading activity. Still, by 1.30pm I had to use my really stern “mum voice”* to get the girls to nap. But we made it to nap time and nobody got hurt; well, no more than usual.
I realised this week I need a sickness plan-of-action. It’s no use waiting until we’re all down-and-out before I get my game on. Sickness happens and it is always going to fall to me to get us through it.
SICKNESS ACTION PLAN
- Make sure we are well stocked with medicines and other supplies for sick days. And I don’t mean just meds for the kids but for Mum and Dad too. A trip to the pharmacy or shops is made a lot harder with three kids, especially if some or all are sick. Be prepared for sudden onset of illness.
- Download some favourite stories as audio books and save it in a “sick day” playlist
- Have a small box of craft accessories which only gets taken out on sick days
- Get out the clay. For some reason this occupies my girls for much longer than playdoh and is a great finger muscle workout as it is quite hard to manipulate.
- Try to get out of the house, just for a short time, even if it is only in your own back garden. Fresh air helps kick those germs in the bott-bott.
- Look at photos. My girls love looking at pictures of themselves when they were little or our wedding pictures. I read recently that toddlers and pre-schoolers are discovering who they are through family life so activities like this are valuable on so many levels.
- Have a tea party or picnic. This passes time and makes eating fun when appetites are likely on the low side.
- Buy a couple of colouring books to keep for days like these.
- Read. We love books in our house but for some reason I forget to turn to them on sick days. You could even gather props and act out some well-known favourites.
Even just knowing I have a vague plan in place for when sickness hits, makes me feel less anxious about the next bout of illness to hit our home (an unfortunate inevitability).
As for the lack of sleep…well…I have no solution for that. Coffee? Berocca? A catnap while you play hide-and-seek with the kids but don’t actually find them (my husband came up with that one while “watching” the girls!)?
*the scary voice you didn’t know you possessed until you had kids
