Benjamin is sick again! He started daycare in the early fall and this winter he keeps getting hit with sickness after sickness. That playdate I hosted turned into a big germ swap and now he has a horrible fever, night shivers, the whole nine yards. I think it’s because the other little guy at the playdate goes to a different daycare. So now he has an entirely new string of something nasty.
So this Monday I missed another day of work…I stopped counting the sick days I’ve taken so far this winter. The workaholic inside can’t digest missing so much time in the office. But I still swing into full mommy mode when he’s sick and know I have no choice but to stay home. I’m lucky though. I have an amazing job with a very understanding boss and can do much of my work from home.
What if I didn’t have a cushy job? What would I be doing right now?
One day, after a crazy night out, my friend and I popped into a Burger King for a hang over cure. It was early in the morning, maybe 9:30ish. A woman walked in with her two sons. They both ran up to the counter, “grandma! grandma!,” they shouted. Their grandmother ran around from behind the counter and scooped them both up in a hug. Thier mom stepped in, “okay boys, now sit down and be good for grandma.” The boys obeyed and took a seat in the restaurant. The mom looked at her mother, “I should be back by 1:00.” She was wearing a uniform herself, clearly off to her own job. Grandma said, “oh, it’s no problem, right Bob?” She looked at the manager of the store, he nodded in approval. Mom kissed her boys good bye and headed off to work. I thought I was going to burst into tears. The boys were swinging their little legs in their seats, twidling their fingers and starting to get ansy already. They had four hours left to go. I wanted to walk up and offer up my apartment for the afternoon. But in these moments, we usually don’t act. I didn’t. What could I have done, in reality, to help this woman? I’m not sure if she was a single mom or not, it doesn’t matter. She didn’t have a husband to save her from this moment.
I will never, ever forget seeing that and on my worst days I know that I really don’t have it that bad at all.
Sorry if this is a scattered and crazy entry. I am exhausted, have been working on projects all night. Going to crash for a bit before he wakes up again…hopefully he’ll wake up tomorrow feeling 100%. I hate seeing him sick like this.
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Zicam for kids is GREAT. At the first sign of a cold I give it to my daughter. It shortens the length for sure….not as bad for her & less time off work. Good Luck…hope he is better soon.