Every family has one, I’m sure. The person who knows whether to feed a cold or starve a fever. The one who knows where the thermometer is. And, most importantly, the one who knows what should keep a child home from school. In our house, that’s me.
I don’t begrudge my role as the family health care provider. After nearly 17 years of parenting, I’m confident enough to know what to do with the most common illnesses. Fevers no longer faze me. Kids running a temperature get popped into bed with plenty of fluids and some ibuprofen, if the temp gets too high. I don’t miss a beat with even the disgusting disturbances. Runny noses, vomiting, other unmentionables? I’ve faced them all down in the business of keeping my kids healthy.
My husband isn’t helpless in caring for the children, but I have a stronger stomach. I also have a stiffer spine. Faced with a child complaining of a minor malady, he’s likely to let the malingerer stay home. Now, I would never knowingly send an infectious child to school, but I need more evidence than an upset stomach, particularly on a test day.
It’s when I’m sick that things get difficult and my admiration for single parents skyrockets. While mom wants nothing more than to lie in bed, the kids still need to be fed and the younger ones supervised. My own children are old enough to be fairly self-sufficient. If that means my daughter eats pretzels and watches My Little Pony while I wait for my migraine to subside, I’m ok with that. A friend, mom to littler ones, thought it was safe to soak her virus-filled body in a hot tub, until the sound of photos being snapped caught her attention. Her son had found his sister’s new camera and was happily documenting mommy’s bath.
Our family healthcare system went into overdrive after Christmas when I had a bad reaction to a routine medical procedure. But everyone knew their role and played it well. My husband stood by my side, manned the cell phone and even made me orange Jell-O. Our neighbor, the same one photographed in the tub, kept our daughter for a sleepover. Our son kept the animals fed. It was a comfort, and frankly, a surprise, to learn how my family could pull together to help Mom get well. Everyone having the week off certainly helped.
I don’t anticipate a rerun of our winter break adventure, but I’ve stocked up on chicken soup, saltines and Ginger Ale nonetheless. We’ve got plenty of ibuprofen and I added some acetaminophen to the family pharmacy. The soap dispensers are full. We’ve used paper towels instead of hand towels for a while now. So, I’m pretty sure we’ll weather the coming cold and flu season, even if Dr. Mom is out for the count once or twice.