The flu delivers a curveball to families. When adults contract this foul illness, it means several days at home with chills, aches, and sniffling. But when children have it, the course of the infirmity may seem like a life sentence for parents.
The episode begins with the proverbial parental guessing game of figuring out what’s going on with the kids. But when the fever spikes and other symptoms appear, a call to the doctor confirms the presence of the virus that seems to be making the rounds.
And then commences the laying in of appropriate medicines, foods and beverages as well as disinfectant cleaners. The real work involves responding to the needs of the child who’s simply not himself. Instead of reading him a book, you might spend your time sitting in front of the humidifier with him on your lap. Instead of sleeping peacefully through the night, you may be up many times comforting a child who feels lousy and doesn’t understand why.
The only pleasant part of this scenario is that when children are sick, they seem to need more cuddling. Rather than the active play they usually enjoy, they often prefer a quiet snuggle with their parents, which seems a sort of benediction in the face of such difficulty.
Of course, after several days of your immersion in the morass of germs around you, you may fall ill yourself. Don’t expect that to excuse you from the care of your children. Sick parents rarely get a pass from the demands of caring for sick children.
But parents can choose to be kind to themselves in the throes of family illness. The lowering of standards is perfectly acceptable, and might lead you to stay in your sweatpants all day or let the kids watch a little more television than usual.
If the flu has imprisoned your family, hang on. Spring will be here soon, and with it the chance to open the windows and rid your home of the dreadful bugs that have plagued you. Even better, the roses in your children’s cheeks will signal their indomitable good health, returned at last.
