When Mama Gets Sick

I don’t know about you, but I think it should be illegal for a mama to get sick. This past weekend I was hit with a nasty stomach bug out of nowhere and it. was. MISERABLE.

When Mama Gets Sick…

Life keeps going and somehow, some way, Mama has to still be mama. 

If you are fortunate enough to have family close by to call for back up then 1) You are lucky and 2) I am jealous.

For those of you less fortunate mamas such as myself, when mama gets sick – she has to suck it up. 

When Mama gets sick there is no “day off”.  The kids still need to eat, and be cared for. There are still school drop offs and pick ups and their little worlds just keep on going. And despite your need to cling to the toilet you somehow have to muster the strength to parent to the, well, to the bare minimum of what your body will allow.

It’s impossible to prepare for getting sick but there are some things we mamas can do to make sure that the rest of our fam is cared for. 

 

LOWER ALL EXPECTATIONS – Seriously when mama is sick, it does not matter how much TV the kids watch or what kind of snacks or meals they eat. It doesn’t matter if they stay in pajamas all day and it doesn’t even matter if you wear a bra in the school pick up line. All expectations and “rules” should be promptly thrown out the window when mama is puking. No laundry needs to be done. No dishes are that dirty. 

And then…oh who am I kidding, that’s all there is to surviving a sick day when you are a mama. You buckle up and know that the kids are gonna be crazy, and the husband is going to ask you 52 million times where things are, and chaos will still happen while you fight off the plague. 

While I fought off the stomach bug my kids ate Easter candy for every meal, and they never got out of their pajamas. They watched more episodes of Rescue Bots than I care to admit and they fought more times than I can count. Including my 6 year old pushing my 3 year old down the stairs and as I laid on the bathroom floor watched him tumble head over feet the entire way down. He was of course fine….but I think it proves my point pretty well.

So don’t worry about the do to list. Lower your expectations. Sleep when you can. Watch your favorite shows that cheer you up when you can.

And let everything else just happen as it may, and as long as everyone is still breathing and the house is still standing, then you can count your day a success….sickness and all.