Basically, once you have a kid and you put them into school or daycare, it’ll get to the point where, once a month, someone or everyone in the household gets really sick. It’s one of those “just you wait” moments that other parents tell you about. And of course, it’s far worse at school, regardless of how old the kids are.
This is a collaborative post
Because there’s always that point in the school year where things start feeling suspicious. A child comes home quieter than usual, or louder than usual, which somehow can also mean the same thing. Somebody says their throat hurts, there’s the sniffles, little aches, well, basically figuring out whether your kid is sick or not, and if you’re sick or not.
Now, needless to say, school germs are so deeply irritating. It’s not just that children pick things up, because well, yeah, obviously they do, they all spend their days in close quarters touching shared pencils, breathing on each other, forgetting every lesson ever taught about covering coughs, and then coming home to lovingly distribute that experience to the rest of the household.
Oh, and it doesn’t help that the timing is always bad, like close to a holiday, a trip like a weekend getaway, when it’s a crazy busy week, you know, when something is already happening. While there isn’t necessarily a magic fix, as the parent here, is there absolutely anything you can do to try and manage this, though?
Lower the Bar for the Week Immediately
And this is probably the bit that saves the most sanity, because the second a child starts seeming a bit off, the whole idea of how the week “should” go usually needs softening As in, a lot of softening. For example, dinner doesn’t need to be impressive (well, maybe it never should have); ideally, laundry can wait an extra day. Well, it’s fine you’re not going to be the perfect parent this week. Besides, if a child’s tired, clingy, snuffly, or just generally looking a bit spent, the household usually runs better when expectations come down before everybody’s already on edge.
A lot of the stress comes from trying to drag normal life along at full speed while one child is falling apart in stages and another one’s probably next in line. And of course, that’s where parents end up getting caught, because it’s not only the germs, it’s the admin around the germs. For most homes, it’s usually things like needing to consider rearranging plans, checking temperatures, figuring out who needs what, wondering who’s going to be awake in the night, and still trying to remember the school reading book.
So yeah, the earlier the week gets simplified, the easier everything feels. And it’s fine if it’s not in routine, actually, you could see it as pivoting and having a temporary routine when things like this happen (like a Plan B).
Keep the House Stocked with Things that Actually Get Used
As you might already know, technically, every home needs to have an emergency kit, but it can help to have a Not-So-Emergency kit, just for times when someone is sick, or got a minor injury, just something that probably doesn’t need medical intervention (like going to the doctor because it’s that minor).
Now, you probably already know that you should have a heating pad/ hot water bottle for muscle cramps, paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain (and for stubborn fevers), depending on the age of your kid you can have tea on hand for them, some parents will give honey to their kids or propolis spray for their throats, caught drops, humidifier, nose spray, you probably get the point to all of this. But it helps to just have things on stock for your family, especially for your kids, since sniffles probably isn’t enough to keep them out of school (and they need to feel better ASAP too).
You’re Better Off Leaning Harder on Comfort
Well, just keep in mind here that when children are under the weather, even a little, comfort starts doing a lot of work. That’s true for them and, honestly, for the adults trying to keep everything from unravelling. Again, like what was mentioned, it’s better ot just have some softer dinners (canned soups and frozen meals are just fine), more water, quieter evenings, warm drinks, cleaner pyjamas (as kids tend to sweat through them fast, easier television, less rushing around, all of that adds up.
You Can’t Cure It
Yes, even now, there’s no cure for the flu or a cold. And sometimes parents talk themselves into thinking none of those small things count because they’re not solving the illness itself, but that’s not really the point. The point is making the house feel more manageable while everybody gets through it. Plus, colds and fever just take time, what you give your kid helps them manage it, but it’s not really to cure it anyways.
How did I do?
Did you enjoy this post? If so, you should check out more of the ‘usual’ type of stuff I write. Honest, relatable rants about parenting three young boys. With a touch of swearing and a lot of sarcasm. You’ll like it! Check out my Mum Life section or head to my Travel Section for some UK family holiday and days out inspiration.
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