I go back and forth on what the most difficult situation is as a single parent – at least when it comes to illness.
Is it worse when my kids are sick and I am well? Or when I am sick and the kids are well? Or when we are all sick?
My view might shift based on which situation I find myself in at the moment, but I really think the hardest for me is when I am sick and the kids are well. Single moms don’t get to call out sick and not show up for work. At my paying job, my co-workers can fill in for me until I recover, but there’s no fill-in for my Mom job.
This week, I am sick. I have a sinus infection – one of the worst in my recent memory – one that borders on flu-like symptoms. When I get sick like this, I am unable to take my rheumatoid arthritis medicine. So, on top of the sinus infection, my joints scream in pain with every move.
I know – whine, whine, whine. But just every so often, don’t I deserve to whine?
I am very blessed that some of my children are able to take over some of the tasks like meal preparation and straightening the house. But, there is no one, and I wouldn’t ask my children, to get up the 3 or 4 times a night that Ashley wakes – or to make sure everyone gets to the doctor and therapy appointments – or to make sure there is adequate and healthy food in the house.
Fortunately, my doctors understand my situation, and are aggressive in their treatment options. My antibiotics are starting to work now, and I am climbing back out of the abyss of sickness. Which is a good thing because we have a vacation planned soon, and I really really need one.
What about you? How do you handle the sick times in your family?
