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For Those Days When Sickness Takes Over Your Life

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Do you have days when it seems that sickness takes over your life? I know I do. Schools started here last week, and just like clockwork, I had one of my kids sick by Wednesday – and we homeschool! It’s crazy. I am always so sad to see it start this early. The winters here in Michigan are so long.

The more moms I talk to who have large families, I am convinced that we totally “get” what it means when a nasty sickness invaded our homes.  Not just a cold, but something really nasty like the flu, a stomach bug, or pneumonia.

sickness

I don’t know about you, but these days and nights always feel overwhelmingly long.  Especially for those of us who live in the North and are usually dealing with long winter days during the peak of sickness season.  There is just something about being able to send both healthy and sick people out for some fresh air and opening out the windows to let some of the germs out.

In the 14 years I have been a parent, I have learned to cut myself an enormous amount of slack during these times.  Since nursing sick ones and vigilantly trying to keep others healthy keeps me more than busy, I have had to give myself permission to do things a bit differently, and to not feel guilty about it.  These are the things that may or may not happen around my place.

  • the house is often resembling some sort of war zone
  • the laundry gets backed up, and it often requires me to run the dryer just to keep up
  • the papers, mail, and schoolwork to grade piles up
  • we may eat cereal for dinner – more than once
  • the kids may spend much more time in front of a video than they ever would normally
  • I may have to buy a needed grocery item or two when it is not on sale and I have no coupon
  • my patience wears thin much too quickly
  • my expectations on family members, especially my kids, may be much more rigid than they normally are
  • I have been known to lock myself in my room and cry after cleaning up throw up or diarrhea for the 100th time
  • my normal routines are non-existent, including my devotions, reading, and gym time

The sick days are some of my most trying days as a mother, and when sickness invades I realize how much I treasure the days of normalcy, but I am also reminded to be thankful that even when dealing with any of the above mentioned sicknesses, my kids are healthy, they will get better, and this won’t last forever.

I am also thankful that my older kids are older and able to help in the times when I get sick.  I will never forget how hard it is to have little children who are completely dependent on me when I am sick.  Those are days that I do not remember fondly.

Most of all, having sick kids helps me to remember that there are those who have it worse than I do, much worse.  These days are long, and these days are exhausting, but these days are also temporary.  Staying focused on the good things, even when I have been up with sick children for several nights in a row.  Even when I have load after load of “sick” laundry to do, and even when I have been dealing with the same sickness for six weeks, I choose to find things to be thankful for, and I choose to find things to smile at my children about.

It is so easy to get stuck in “pity party mode” during this time, but it is never productive.  Even in this brief season, I can choose to be an intentional mom.

How do you handle things when sickness invades your home like a wildfire?

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