Moms Don’t Get Sick Time

The winter of 2011/2012 may go down as one of the mildest in history.  Temperatures have been unusually warm and one look outside the window tells the whole story. There is absolutely no snow on the ground and, in some places, the crocus are already starting to show up.

What that doesn’t mean, however, is that it has been a mild season for colds, flus and other winter ailments. 

As a matter of fact I feel like nearly every call or email I have made in the past couple of weeks has been answered the same way. Responses like, “Sorry I’ve been out sick for the past few days,” “My whole house has the stomach bug,” and, of course, “We are heading out the door to the doctor right now” have been the norm as my friends, family and neighbors all seem to be plagued by the same set of symptoms.

For a mom this can be the toughest time of year. Trying to keep the family healthy and, at the same time, stay healthy yourself is no small task.

Let’s face it. When you are a mom down and out with the bug you really don’t have a lot of options. Moms don’t have an HR department to call into, they can’t turn to the union to find a replacement, their boss can’t cover for the day and there aren’t any coworkers to fill in. Simply put, moms don’t get sick days.

Almost any mom can tell you a story about a day of being deathly ill with at least one child hanging all over them. For me it was the winter after my son had turned two years old. 

That winter could easily go down is history as the longest, most horrible one ever in the MacKenzie household. Seemed that one of us would just be getting over the stomach bug and, without fail, another would come down with it. The cycle continued for a couple of months and, for a while, it seemed like we might never recover.

To this day, 10 years later, I remember being so sick that I could barely move from the bathroom floor. That being said, picture me with a two-year-old hanging onto my back, watching my every move and making remarks like, “wow, cool,” “whats amatter?” and, even, “I’m hungry!”

At that moment in time I was absolutely certain that I would not live to see my son turn three. Thankfully, relief came after a desperate call to my own mom. The Cavalry arrived in the form a very concerned grandmother carrying a grocery bag filled with ginger ale, soda crackers and, of course, plenty of Lysol! 

Who but a mom would be brave enough to show up at a germ infested house of horror and save the day? Who but a mom would answer and, ultimately understand, such a desperate plea for help? Who but a mom would clean up, do laundry and play nurse all day? As far as I can tell, no one but a mom!

I guess it all goes to prove one thing. No matter how old you are, no matter how many children you have and no matter where you go a little help from mom really does go a long way!