When the Parents are Sick…
// March 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // General
Идея за подаръкEric and I always encourage our kids to be self-sufficient – that while some things require Mom and Dad’s help, there are plenty of things you can easily do for yourself.
This paid off recently, when Eric and I were both hit with an awful bout of the flu that left us too weak and sick to get out of bed and take care of our own kids. It’s something I hope we never experience again, but at least we know the kids can fend for themselves for a short while if it does.
Realizing we couldn’t even get the kids to school, we placed a distress call early Monday morning to Pappy, who dropped everything to come help care for all of us. While we were waiting for him to make the three plus hour trip, Alexandra was a wonderful help. Our big girl not only tried to take care of Eric and I, but she also got snacks and drinks for her brother and herself, and kept Ian entertained. We were so appreciative of what she did.
Of course Ian is a different story. His pint-sized, big blue-eyed appearance easily fools some into thinking he’s an angel. Ahem. I’m his mom, trust me, I know he is an absolute sweetheart most times, but he has an equally (and some days exceedingly) mischievous side that can’t pass up an opportunity to do something he shouldn’t whether it can cause bodily harm or not.
So, when Eric turns to me and asks, “Did you just hear the front door?” as we’re laying miserable in bed, all I could think was that it was too soon for my dad to have arrived. But then I heard it too.
I immediately attempted to get out of bed, which was not easy, and called to Alexandra to see what was going on. Her response was, “It’s not me, Mom, I’m getting us a snack!” And then it hit me – Ian! Once at the top of the stairs, I see my son making his way outside and began yelling for him to get his butt back in the house. His perfectly rationalized reply was that he’d only be a minute and needed to take some trash outside (which turned out to be a single sheet of paper).
It’s at times like this that Alexandra’s take charge attitude (and dare I say her bossiness) can come in handy. The girl does not mess around, and before I could shuffle down the stairs, she was out the door declaring to her brother, “Oh no you don’t mister! Ian Cooper, you get inside right now!” Impressively, Ian didn’t argue at all (she did have him by the arm), and he followed her right back into the house. After relocking the door, she sat him on the bottom step and gave him a little talking to about why that wasn’t a good idea. It was very clear that she is mini me in more than just looks alone.
Ian apologized, but I know that does not mean it won’t be repeated. Quite the contrary for sure, so Eric and I learned a valuable lesson – with Ian in the house, we need to invest in a much higher lock on the front door. While we didn’t have to worry about such things with Alexandra, Ian just can’t seem to help himself – if opportunity strikes, he’s going to jump on it. I swear he’s hardwired for mayhem sometimes.
I spent the rest of the time waiting for Pappy lying on the couch. Thankfully he arrived a short while later and spent the next two days taking care of and watching out for us, and we are ever so grateful. I don’t think I would have gotten much rest otherwise.
