I am sick! Sore throat, ear ache, aching muscles, tired kinda sick!
But I have two kids.
My mom said to me on Saturday morning why don’t I go and get back into bed! I had to chuckle at that.
Getting back into bed would have been most awesome. In fact its probably what I needed to do.
But I have two kids.
I have two kids who cant make their own meals, who cant be expected to sit inside all day. I have kids who cant wipe their bottoms yet and who cant read the name of the shows on TV yet. I have two kids who still need me.
So getting back to bed is never an option.
I have to get up, get dressed, make breakfast, tidy rooms, play mini golf, visit friends, wipe noses, make tea, buy lunch, put plasters on bleeding fingers, change the TV channel.
I have kids. I am a mother. Mothers don’t get sick.
And if by some chance I am so run down that my body does get taken over by some viscous bug – I suck it up!
I phone a friend, while making lunches and I moan. I get sympathy from them. They listen, identify and offer a hug. Then I put the phone down, pack the lunch, tie shoe laces, check everyone has jackets and I rush out the door on my way to work.
I do this because I am a mother and there is no one else. I do this because the world keeps on turning.
Sometimes I wonder why God allows mothers to get sick. I really believe that when you become a mother you are given some super human gene that protects you from the many and varied viruses and bugs that fly around. And if that isn’t possible then the government should provide free help when a mother gets sick – in the form of someone who can cook, clean, get kids to school etc.
But I suppose neither of those options are likely. So for now, I will take another swig of my cough mixture, down myprodol and hope that tomorrow my throat doesn’t feel like its on fire and my body
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8 Responses
Cheri – when I am sick and I hear child-less people say that, I could quite easily kick them in the head OR when they suggest you go home and get into bed! I then tell them – no problem I will send the kids over to you ;-p
i know what you mean.my family don’t live in the same city, so when I’m sick, I still have to take care of my daughter.
I want that super-gene! I love listening to the child-less saying that they are going to go home and get straight into bed and they will be better tomorrow. The next day poor moms are still sick!
Merlitta – I do live with my folks but my mom also works so she also cant just take time off and its hard for her to watch the kids in the same house 🙂
Zanaib – I assure you more people than you think are not coping 🙂 We do the best we can – some days are better than others!
I thought It was just me , not coping and not being the Super MOM. everyone around me appears so efficient , competent and together that I felt even more depressed.
I wish we could form some kind of support group so that we could help each other out at times like this.
Can totally emphatise! Hope you feel better soon.
So wonderfully expressed the feeling of a parent without any support in this concrete jungle. I am presuming you don’t have extended family support that lots of other people have, a grandmother, mother who can step in when you are sick
I can empathise but taking sick leave from work could help a bit, especially if you’re packing the kids off to school. Beyond that its lots of medication!