Can Mom Call in Sick?
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Health on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 5:00 PM
You feel the signs coming a few days before it hits - the scratchy throat, the aching limbs, that pre-sick feeling that you just can’t shake.
But, chances are if you’re a mom you ignore the hints your body is giving you and move on, full speed ahead, ignoring the indicators that you need to slow things down and take it easy.
And then, it’s too late - you’re sick.
It happened to me this week. I spent a large portion of yesterday on the couch in the middle of the day, feverish and feeling like a truck had hit me. And yes, I knew last week that this was likely coming, but I disregarded all of those early warning signs, assuring myself that it was just my imagination or a bad reaction to all of the Back to School mania.
But at a certain point, if you’re really not feeling well, you have to admit it to yourself and give in to the healing process. That’s what happened yesterday. It’s funny though, on Sunday I was having a telephone conversation with my sister Erin, who is a partner in her law firm and the mother of two strapping young preschoolers. She was telling me about their recent bout with the stomach flu. “I was allowed to be sick for twelve hours, until my husband caught it, and then it was time for me to feel better.” She knew that she had to pull herself together to take care of the rest of her family, and so she did it.
Blessedly, most of the illnesses we moms run up against are temporary in nature. What I’m talking about here are colds and flu, not the long term illnesses that sometimes strike at the heart of families. But when we, as moms, are feeling run down and ill we sometimes avoid the very advice and care we give the rest of our families, refusing to really take care of ourselves.
So here are a few things I pondered yesterday from my position on the couch:
* It’s ok to call for help when you need it - Let a friend drive your child to school, accept offers of food from a relative or ask a coworker to help out on a project.
* It’s ok to take a day off - If your little ones spend a day playing quietly in front of videos or PBS for several hours, it will likely not permanently damage them.
* It’s ok if your house is a wreck for a day or two - The laundry and dishes will eventually get done when you feel better.
* It’s ok to admit that you’re sick and to let your family care for you and for one another - In fact, it’s probably even good for them!
Yesterday, I polled some of my friends with the query “What happens around your house when mom gets sick?” Interestingly, the male respondents seemed more than happy to let mom rest and pick up the slack, even if that did involve ordering pizza!
So now, I turn to you for your advice - What words of wisdom should we moms encourage each other with when we’re feeling sick and tired? How do you get through a day when you can’t call in sick? What makes you feel better when you’re down and out?
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