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When your child brings home those delightful school germs, prepare for a full-blown family infection. Quarantining your little one is a lost cause—before you know it, everyone from the siblings to the dog is sharing in the misery.
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Just as the last cough subsides and your kids start to recover, guess what? You’ll be the next victim. It’s a cruel twist of fate. You’ll still be expected to cook, clean, and provide entertainment, all while feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck. Because let’s face it, moms never really get to be “sick.”
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Your child will choose the worst possible moment to get sick. Just when you’re at the salon, treating yourself to a long-awaited haircut, your phone rings with news from the school that your child has just tossed their cookies all over the classroom. Or perhaps you’re trying to impress a new client at work when the daycare calls about a lice outbreak. Spoiler alert: your kid will never fall ill while you’re lounging in your pajamas binge-watching your favorite show.
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Expect to make questionable judgment calls. As your child moans and groans about feeling terrible, you’ll decide to let them stay home. But give it an hour, and they’ll be bouncing off the walls like a hyperactive bean, making you question your parenting choices.
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You might dream of having a child who takes medicine without a fuss. But those kids are as mythical as unicorns. Your little angel will likely turn into a tornado of flailing limbs and screams as you attempt to administer their medication. Even if you manage to sneak it in, it’ll make a grand exit moments later, decorating everything in its path. And good luck trying to disguise it in their favorite yogurt—once is all it takes for them to catch on.
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A trip to the doctor feels like a rite of passage, but it’s often a waste of time. Most illnesses are just viruses, meaning you’ll spend hours waiting with a cranky child only to hear that you need to keep them hydrated and let it run its course. This is the same after you’ve wrestled them into a position for a throat swab, which could easily double as a scene from a horror movie.
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Despite the futility of all those doctor visits, you’ll continue to make them. You’ll do it to avoid feeling like a heartless parent who ignores their sick child. And then, after coddling them all day, you’ll send them back to school, while you nurse the germs you picked up in that germ-infested waiting room.
If you’re interested in more about parenting challenges, check out our blog post here about coping strategies.
In summary, when your child is home sick, expect chaos, judgment calls, and a hefty dose of irony as you navigate the inevitable cycle of germs. It’s a wild ride that every parent experiences, filled with sneezes, tears, and a bit of laughter along the way.