QotD: Sick Day

Ooooh do I hear you on that one. A suggestion: When you feel sick, make the rest of your family (you have an older one, 10-ish? Sorry if I'm wrong) pick up the slack. That may go against the grain of your mom/woman instincts, but hear me out:

I never did that, even when I was really, really sick. I would do whatever I could to keep the same level of mothering to my kid, housework, etc. But what I realize now is that even though I thought I was sucking it up and toughing it out, my kid has no idea now, what to do when I am sick, or how to help care for someone else when they are sick. So I've had to re-adjust things and now when I'm sick, I make him do stuff for me. Sometimes it's just making me a cup of tea or bringing me some Kleenex. I could do it myself but that doesn't help him.

Teaching compassion is a big deal, especially when mom, the glue that holds everything together, is sick.

So backing off and letting the little ones, and slightly bigger-than-little ones know that mom can't do everything, helps. :) Kids (even little ones) need to know that they can make a difference when mom feels bad, and that contributing to the family by helping mom is a big deal. :)

Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. It's been a couple of years since I realized this, and it's been working. He knows when I'm not feeling well and ask for help that I really mean it. And he rises to the occasion. Yours will too. :)