You Know You’re a Parent When….
June 25, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
…..You’re driving home fast as you can in the right lane because your exit is coming up and there’s a semi tailing you and from the backseat comes a loud hacking sound that means your child is losing everything in his stomach.
As you can see, I spend plenty of time thinking about what’s the best we can do for Charlie, what kind of school and education can best foster his learning, what about his future needs for work and a place to live. But sometimes all you can is to Be Mom.
Get your kid home.
Get those clothes off.
Shower.
Reassure him he’s doing his best, he’s doing great, you know he tried.
Pull out clean pajamas.
Bring him the second favorite blanket (the favorite one is already in the washing machine).
Pull up a chair to his bedside and sit quietly and wish him to feel better and tell him how much you love him, and we should probably avoid movie popcorn (but the movie itself was great, we had so much fun!……review to follow).
He rolls himself tightly in the blanket, looks at you. Sleeps. (You go out to scrub the car.)
Sometimes it’s just very simple, being the parent of a beautiful child.
Poor Charlie. ‘Hope his stomach is feeling better today.
I know what you mean though, it’s those situations that bring it down to brass tacks in in a very immediate and personal way…being Mom.
Look forward to the movie review–’glad it was good.
I just wish that being mom would involve fewer bodily fluids. At some point? Right? :0
Hope that Charlie feels much better very soon.
OH – I almost forgot. Since we are extremely motion sensitive around here, we’ve started carrying a beach pail lined with a plastic grocery bag everywhere we go in the car. The bucket is sturdy, familiar, the right size for laps, and easily cleaned. It’s no trouble to switch out the bag en route with a clean one, and keep traveling. I realize it doesn’t sound like this is a frequent problem for Charlie, but if it is, this has been a godsend in our car.
Oh yuck! I have been blessed with never having a sick kid in the car, mine wait until they are in my bed and puke on me. ;P
Poor baby, I hope he’s feeling better. And I hope the car scrubbing went okay. Been there and done that (not always the car and not always puke) more times than I care to count.
He gets a stomach thing about twice a year especially in the summer (last year it was 2am in the morning)—–I think it’s the pool. More people in it in the summer, and we’ve been going to a different pool, too, that’s outdoors. He’s had the same popcorn from the same movie theater before, but had had some tough moments and kept asking to eat, and those have been signs before of a distressed stomach.
I have to remember that beach bucket……
Dang, that lined sandpail is a great idea! Wish we’d had it a couple decades ago, but I’m sure we can still use it one way or another.
(Now, if I could just get a certain cat to hack into a pail instead of the rug by my bed, we’d really be in business.)
andrea
Sometimes it’s just very simple, being the parent of a beautiful child.
So true..
From what I keep reading you do an excellent job of Being Mom. Keep at it, and hope Charlie feels better soon if not already.
Great post. I say: getting puked on is a rite of passage. Feel better Charlie.
My best puke story: getting puked on at CVS while buying up the Pedialyte.
especially while driving……
Poor guy… And I’m glad you’re a good enough driver to keep control under those circumstances!
I hope Charlie is feeling better by now!
Hmm. I don’t suppose the car will fit down the waste disposal anyway.
Cheers