My Daughter is Sick and Other Stuff

In the past week, I've heard of two cases of children with cancer. Both of the kids were approximately Cole's age. The word, "cancer", is ugly enough, but when it's mixed in the same sentence as "child"...unfathomable. The thought makes your stomach plummet. Your heart palpitates as you grieve for the family. And guilt takes over as you're terrorized by the possibility of cancer invading your own babies. You say a million little prayers as fast as you can. And no matter how deep your faith, you still wonder why.

Today I received a call that my Alex was sick. So, of course, I'm super paranoid. Should I take her to the ER? Boy, her fever didn't break very easily. And when it finally did, I was ready to dance a jig. My jigs aren't pretty, but I would've been willing to YouTube it.

I also played frisbee with Cole tonight. When was the last time I played with my son???? It's been way too long. And I'm a bit ashamed. (No wonder no one has been calling to nominate me for Mother of the Year.) Yesterday, when he told me he had to write about a really happy memory and his response was, "When I saw Harry Potter 7.2", I thought to myself, "enough of the movies already!" Our family needs to do some stuff. And once Alex is well, that's what we will do. Do stuff! Not sit around and watch. We're going to do stuff and LIVE.

And pray - never stop praying.

On another bright note - I was driving to work the other day and saw a canary yellow VW beetle. It made me smile. What would this world be like without bright yellow cars? BORING! And to think that my mother hates yellow cars. Mom - let's learn to let go of the hate and love all.  After all, doesn't it take all kinds to make the world go round? I think you taught me that.

And for any of you who want to read some recent book reviews here are some links to my other (not-quite-so-popular) blog:

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey

Good day!

The Mother of Mothers

Perhaps I shot myself in the foot last weekend when I gloated over my happiness...now my house is filled with fever, coughs and chills.

Sick kids. Every mother's worry. Every working mother's nightmare. Next to letting my kids defend themselves against snakes, this is another area where my maternal instinct undergoes extreme conflict.

I have to go to work. But my kids are sick. But I need to get to work. But my kids are sick. But still, there's work.

Come on! Where are my priorities?

Thank God that I live near my mother who almost always will re-arrange her schedule to pinch-hit for me. She came over this morning so I could get a little caught up. (Never mind that she is now behind.) That's motherly love...perhaps I should take a few lessons from my own role model.

If there is one piece of advice I have for all young mothers out there...don't let anyone make you feel guilty about missing work for sick kids. I was lucky enough to have a mother around to help me out. But there are plenty of mothers who were made or are made to feel guilty about missing work for sick children. While I have trouble heeding my own advice, because I truly worry way too much about pleasing others, it's a ridiculous notion to put work over a sick child. Work will always be there. And, well, you know who won't. (Unless your me and are still calling your mom at the age of 40...)

The moral of the story...in ten or twenty years, who will remember if you missed work because of a sick kid?

Probably not your co-workers. But I bet your child will.