My youngest became ill the same day as his brother began his recovery. I am so thankful that the two boys didnt overlap their downtime because I was on laundry duty around the clock and would have run out of linen if there were two patients. Talking to other mothers in the area by phone, I was struck with the knowledge that illness means different things to different mothers. Some see it as simply an inconvenience. I see it as a time that the children need support of a very primal sort.
Simple touch is often the only thing they seek.
Their inner spark is dampened with the disease and they only wish to be held by me. There is no need for conversation, entertainment or other forms of interaction. The timeframe from the end of the actual illness to the child feeling like their energetic, ol' self again seems to be the most frustrating, if my off the cuff survey is correct. There is something difficult about nurturing our kids for the sake of simply getting them ready to take on the world again. My kids are no longer running fevers or running to the bathroom, but they still insist on me waiting on them.