Theory versus Reality

Today was a real eye opener for me. It marked Day 3 of staying home all day with two semi-sick kids. I say "semi-sick," because I couldn't in good conscience send them to church or school with their hacking coughs and sneezes that they don't remember to cover, but they weren't lethargic enough to just sit docilely on the couch. So, at 7am for the past 3 mornings, I listened to them hack themselves awake and gleefully rejoiced--no lunches to pack, no karate to get ready for, no library books to find and send back to school! Sick kids sounded a little like a vacation at 7am. By 9am, on our 4th, or was it 5th?, Valentine's Day craft, I realized I had woefully deceived myself. By 5pm, I was ready to duct tape them to their beds with Barry Manilow songs on repeat, so they could be tortured as much as they were torturing me. And that was just the end of Day 1. Sadly, I go through some kind of amnesia through the night and have the same optimism at the beginning of Day 2 and Day 3.

Now, as Day 3 closes, I find myself with several uncomfortable choices to make. Do I value my sanity over the health of perfectly innocent 2nd grade and preschool children who happen to have the bad luck of sharing a class with my children? Or do I let these kids (and their parents) deal with Germfest 2013, solely so I can find a little peace and quiet? Am I glad to have germy yet hyper children? Yes, absolutely. But would I prefer a little more docility and lethargy with their illnesses? Maybe... Ok, Yes! Yes! I know, I know this makes me a bad mom. But I have what feels like a drill grinding its way into my left temple, and it is solely because of the cabin fever I've gone though with my pseudo-sick children. Would it be so hard for them to lay calmly on the couch and weakly request "a little more chicken broth, if it wouldn't be too much trouble"?

Here is what I know: the kids ARE going to school tomorrow. I feel like we're past the worst of it, but I may just be saying that to sooth my conscience. I AM going to take a nap tomorrow. And I am going to try to not think about those moms who really DO have sick, lethargic kids who they would love to see running around, twirling with their siblings, kicking soccer balls at the ceiling lights, and tackling the dog. Because if I think about them, my left temple throbs even more and my guilt index skyrockets. I AM going to pretend I don't hear either of the kids coughing right now. And finally, I AM going to hang a sign that I will see at 7am, reminding me that "sick kids" does not equal "vacation."