Tuesday, October 19, 2010

What to Do When a Child is Sick? Distract Them & Love Them of Course!

There's nothing worse than having a sick child. It can take you straight from being a confident mom who has got everything under control, straight to feeling helpless & lost in the wink of an eye.

So the cold started about 2 weeks ago only I didn't recognize the moodiness & short temper in my normally persnickety-yet-sweet little redhead as a sign that she wasn't feeling well. When the fever came on like gangbusters a couple of days later in the evening, I put two and two together.
Her fever reached 103 before we had it under control...then came other symptoms. The poor dear has had most every discomfort associated with a serious flu.
We've spent a lot of time together cuddling...which I love, but wish her discomfort wasn't the reason for her cuddlyness, and she'd fall asleep in my arms which would in turn also fall asleep & remind me of the days when the kiddos were babies & wouldn't nap unless they were being held.
To pass the time we've looked at picture books together & watched a lot of dvds on a portable little dvd player I could bring in to her room & set up on a chair so she could watch from her bed. When she felt a little better mid day, I'd show her video clips on youtube from sesame street & her favorite 'tarako commercials'...anything to keep her mind off how bad she felt.

When something is wrong with a child, then nothing else seems to matter & has to be put on hold until they feel better. Somehow I managed to get all my etsy orders out, but for now, the shops are temporarily in vacation mode until my girl feels like her playful, smiley self again.
She has been improving...able to keep liquids down for 3 days & food down for 2...so I'm hoping she's over the worst of it.

1 comment:

Glenda said...

Aw, your poor punkin :(. Good news that she's keeping liquids down and food in.

It stinks to not be able to take the pain and discomfort away, but there's absolutely something to be said for being available to hold and cuddle and snuggle however much they want you to :).

Hoping the rest of your household stays bug-free!