Sick Days

Next Time I Am Knocking on Wood, or My Son's Head

By Notes From the Trenches on Tuesday, March 18, 9:41 am EDT

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Scene Thursday night 8:00pm

Her: There is a lot of sickness going around right now.

Me: Oh, I know. It seems like people are dropping left and right.

Her: I shouldn't even say it...

Me: Don't jinx it....

Her: My kids never get sick.

Me: Mine either. I honestly can't remember the last time they were really sick.

Her: Same here.

Me: You know other than a cold.

Her: Yes. I know some people whose kids are always sick. Like every other week they are home from school.

Me: Ugh. Me too.

I will spare you the rest of the conversation. But suffice it to say that we went on and on about how it was obvious that our superior parenting skills, and mildly OCD tendencies, were responsible for the healthiness of our children. We agreed that we were both awesome parents. Our fabulous shoes might have also figured into it, I can't recall.

Let's just say we left that conversation with an air of shared smug superiority.

*****

Scene: Saturday morning 6:00am

7 year old pitiful child: I don't feel so well.

Me: Oh no, what's the matter?

7 yr old pitiful child: I think I am going to throw up.

Me: What?

7 yr old pitiful child: I... blllllllllleeeeeeesdhfshfgshfsh....splat.

That is the indescribable sound of vomit flying out of the mouth of the pitiful child Linda Blair style and hitting the tile floor.

I watched in disbelief. And horror. There was my smug superiority lying on the floor.

Karma smells a lot like bleach.

_____

Visit Chris Jordan's personal blog, Notes from the Trenches

Corey

Anytime there is smugness

3/18/2008 at 11:17 am

Anytime there is smugness and superiority when it comes to parenting, it will get you in the end! That's happened to me so many times. BTW, I love the juxtaposition of the title pf your post sitting above Daddy Daze's little boy this week.

Jen

Been there

3/18/2008 at 11:23 am

My kids never get sick either. Said the mom whose children both just went through a day of vomiting last week. However, I have always attributed it to my anti-OCD tendencies; I congratulate myself (or maybe excuse myself) for not being obsessed about germs and tell myself that this allows my children to develop hardy immune systems.

Fina

Karma Comment

3/18/2008 at 11:49 am

1) yes, Karma got you good. Or bad as it turns out. 2) I continue to be smug that my 2-1/2 yo girl has NEVER been on an anti-biotic in her life. And she's been in daycare since 3 mo! 3) I hope Karma doesnt come looking for me Fina/Sayville

Tammy and Parker

Superior Parenting, eh?

3/18/2008 at 1:09 pm

As the parent of a medically fragile, chronically ill child, I think perhaps I will just quietly (as I can) back away from this post. For some reason the stomach flu no longer qualifies as being 'sick' in my book. If it can be survived with out a PICU stay, time spent circling the drain and a zillion dollar co-pay, then karma has indeed been kind. Although now that I think about it, perhaps it has been my superior parenting skills and overwhelming OCD tendencies that have kept my kid alive....despite what the doctors first predicted.

Kelly

We've had the stomach virus

3/18/2008 at 1:59 pm

We've had the stomach virus move through our house a record 3 times this winter. What's up with that??? I've had it with winter and sickness. Bring on the nice weather and healthy kids. I hope the rest of your family doesn't get it. That is the worst when it goes from one to another to another. NO FUN!

peepnroosmom

That sounds awful. Don't you

3/18/2008 at 2:12 pm

That sounds awful. Don't you just love it when they don't make it to the bathroom. Sunday morning Roo was whiny and wanted to be held and didn't want to eat and didn't want to get dressed, etc. When we got 1/4 mile from church he threw up all over the back seat. Yack! I guess smugness does come back to bite.

Jamie AZ

Vomitting karma - the worst

3/18/2008 at 2:52 pm

Vomitting karma - the worst kind!

Rae

I've had that smugness after

3/18/2008 at 5:50 pm

I've had that smugness after my husband got a speeding ticket. Also known as expensive karma. Of the moving violation kind.

Shelly

At least it was on tile....

3/18/2008 at 10:26 pm

At least it was on tile....

Maddy

Karma

3/19/2008 at 6:09 am

Yes Karma will get you every time. My best friend once bragged that her two boys had NEVER EVER had head lice ... ha ha ha! The very next day she had a call from the school to come pick her two nitty boys up!

Cary

Yea Tile!

3/19/2008 at 8:55 am

At least it was on the tile. It's always bad when the first words out of your mouth (in your head) are, "No, not on the couch!", instead of, "Oh, are you ok?"

Sarah N.

Smugness

3/19/2008 at 9:41 am

I have been having those same smug thoughts all winter long - expect that my kids are usually sick. DD usually gets strep throat if she just hears the word "strep". We have been unusally healthy this winter..........until the start of spring break, at which point DS woke up with 103 degree fever. So instead of spending the week with Grams and Papa and the cousins - we are laying around the house being pitiful! Hope your housefull gets well soon!

Heather J.

Funny

3/19/2008 at 12:24 pm

I had this same convo last week, seriously. I have two children home with fevers, sore throats and nasty dispositions. Being a smug, know it all mom..........bites me in the bottom, often. You think I'd learn.

bombaygirl

Did karma get your friend too?

3/19/2008 at 7:50 pm

Could that possibly have been Susan you were sharing the "smug superiority" with? I think I will go check her blog next!

mother*of*Lavereous

karma=funny. kid sick= sorry i hope he feels or got better soon!

3/23/2008 at 12:42 pm

my sister has three kids. well they have all been sick for the past three or four weeks. one gets sick and then the others are fine, but then that kid gets better and then the other two are sick. they have all had pink eye randomly and only one of them goes to school (kindergarden) the other two are to young. fabi the middle child, her ear drum busted, the youngest has her eye swollen shut(bug bite doctor thinks) and the other one was throwing up. she swears she would get the worse mother of the year award, but naaa she has three kids one gets sick how dont the others get sick?