Something To Consider

Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

- Elizabeth Stone


Will said he woke up with "spring fever".  I asked him what that meant, since for me growing up in the mid-west it was getting really sick and tired of winter and being ready for spring.  (Not really an issue here.)  He said it meant he was ready for school to be out.  I guess you'd call that "summer fever".  In any case, he was pretty bummed when I called him in from burning things with a magnifying glass on the backyard patio to head out the door to school.

He had his feelings hurt after school by his big sister who got tough with him because he was dawdling on the walk home and they were going to be late for piano lessons.

He was also bummed because, while he had to go to piano lessons, his best friend was having a play date with his old best friend - the same boy his current best friend didn't want to have to "share" him with in the past.

He wasn't happy after his piano lesson because his teacher gave him a hard time for not practicing enough with guild right around the corner.

Then, on the way to baseball practice, I gave him a cookie from Trader Joe's that ended up having walnuts in it and he started to get 'that feeling' in his throat.  (I have never made this mistake in the 6 years since we have known about his allergy!)  I quickly gave him some Benadryl and all was well, but I waited a good twenty minutes before taking him, late of course, to his practice.

I should also mention here that he is NOT enjoying baseball this year as he has in the past.  His birthday is the cut off for this league, so not only is he the youngest boy within a two year range, he is also short for his age - 5th percentile for height.  I think it's starting to bother him for the first time.  What is a mom to do??

When I picked him up from practice, he was sitting out with a stomach ache.  He said his throat was fine, but he was sick to his stomach.  After resting for awhile at home, he got up and said he felt better, just itchy.  I noticed he now had hives, so I gave him some more Benadryl.  He was feeling much better and wanted to eat some waffles.  Great!

One hour later, he threw up.

It's one thing to have a bad day yourself, but when your kids have a bad day?  It's just so much worse!  The older they get, the more challenging 'bad days' become for them and I realize I can't fix everything like I used to.  With Rachael (2),  I can just hug and kiss things away, or at least help her forget about them with a little bag of fruit snacks.  Not so with the older ones.

As we were walking back to the car after baseball practice, I asked him if I could hold his hand.  I told him it would make me feel better.  I meant it.

It's hard, bearing the emotional burdens of your children, but it's definitely part of the job.

Something to consider before you decide to have a "baby".