Happy Mother's Day Dr. Mom

A sick kid at home is a standard curve ball thrown at moms repeatedly during their "years of service" on the home front.  When kids are little, you're lucky to go more than two weeks without at least one kid down for the count (we have three, so do the math…we had lots of "sick time" in our house).  Seemingly healthy kids go to bed at 8:30pm only to turn into feverish, vomiting beasts at 2:00am.  As a mom with sick little ones, it can be exhausting with a lack of sleep and multiple clean-ups required.  The visits to the doctor's office seem endless (there were weeks when I saw our pediatrician more than I saw my spouse).  I knew it was taking its toll when, during the third office visit in two weeks, the doctor looked at me and asked, "Is there anyone helping you?"

Between a nebulizer for Asthma and assorted drugs, our house resembled an Urgent Care clinic.  At one point, I asked if we could just have an Amoxicillin keg installed in the fridge since we seemed to require daily doses for months on end. 

Funny thing, though, kids get older, they build up an immune system, and manage to work their way through most of the colds and illnesses that exist on the pre-school/grade school circuit.  The visits to the doctor's office slow down, and you can give up your membership in the Antibiotic of the Month Club. 

I was reminded of those days when my son was home from college recently and got sick.  He went to bed with a sore throat and then (channeling his inner 3-year-old) started throwing up at 2:00am.  The next day was spent prone on the couch with a fever and a cough.  His being sick reminded me of those days in the trenches, and I realized that in a weird way, I missed it (I can say that because I've had 7 hours of sleep).  When your kids are little, you are just trying to survive, but as they grow up, their needs change.  It actually felt good to be back in the trenches and to be needed on such a basic level by my boy.  The chance to kick it into SuperMom overdrive was great:  Check temperature, give him fluids, applesauce, kisses on the forehead, etc. Ok, I might not have kissed his forehead, but I did place my palm there under the ruse of checking his fever.

I loved that my boy was sick enough to want me to hover and fuss and take care of him.  I know that they still need me just as much when they get older, they just don't know it (because they are too busy knowing everything else).  The opportunities to be the "take care of needs" mom become less and less as they become more independent and can do for themselves (except the clothing on the floor, they can't seem to ever pick that up).

On this Mother's Day, I think about the way motherhood changes as they get older.  I get a Happy Mother's Day text instead of those mom gifts from school, and I miss those sweet, cute, handmade treasures.  The gifts change, and I've learned to treasure the "mom" moments, whatever form they take. Even if the moment is home sick on the couch.

Happy Mother's Day!