First Sick Day
Rebekah’s Sick Day
No one in our family had been sick since November. We do live in Scotland where it’s culturally acceptable to take your flu-ridden child to creche or nursery since all the kids are going to get the germs eventually anyway, so it was inevitable. As usual, Rebekah got it first, then Luke, then me, and now Josh. It’s not a huge deal- a kinda bad cough and cold symptoms. Unfortunately, Rebe’s cough started in Arbroath when we were all sharing a room. I’ll say it again- love white noise. We were able to sleep through it.
Anyway, she was having such crazy coughing fits last Wednesday that I kept her home from “skewel.” She did feel crummy, but she definitely loved the attention she got and getting to watch a movie with her blanket and “BB” (special lovey) while Mommy worked. It was pretty sweet. However, she was off to skewel again the next day. I knew she would have the first half of this week off for Scottish mid-terms and in-service, so we had to take what we could get.
Back in the day
I remember staying home “sick” with my mom. About once a six-weeks, my brother and I could tell her we wanted to stay home. We were honest about whether we had tests, etc., and she would usually let us. She is truly an honest person, so she’d call in and say, “Hello, this is Gayle McCord. My daughter, Emily, is sick today.” They would hang up and she would quickly add, “of school.” She was our mother. She could do what she wanted. Heck, my dad is 1 of 11, and his mom would keep one of them home every Monday or Friday just for the extra help. Those were the days.
I also remember actually being sick and not wanting to miss school. I specifically remember feeling awful one morning in 4th grade, but I simply couldn’t miss school because we were starting “string art” that day in math. Little did I know, we were starting a 6-week explanation of what string art was and how to do it. That would have been a good day to opt out. (Incidentally, I do believe it was this disappointing experience (string art) that helped me to see that I would never be crafty or artsy…sigh.) I also hated missing school for social reasons- maybe I had a new outfit to wear or there was a boy I had a crush on- you never wanted to miss a good opportunity to make an impression, you know. So, I would muster it up to make sure he did not miss me. Sadly, it never really worked out for me. I just wasn’t that cute. I’m not sure any of us were in the 80′s. (a great big thank heavens that digital cameras did not exist in the 80′s. I may have to lose mine (or keep breaking them) when poor Rebekah and Luke enter middle school for their vanity’s sake)
Now, I find I am the mom making the decisions. My heart wants to be the fun-loving, sure you can stay home and we can get take-out or go to the movies kind of mom, but my mind is still that of a former high school teacher who believes in responsibility and commitment. Praise the Lord we’re just dealing with preschool right now- I just don’t think I can take the pressure just yet.
