Saturday 3 November 2018

Joining the Bad Mothers Club

Was looking through some of my old posts for something and found this. Seems so long ago - Not even celebrating Thanksgiving this year.

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Well, I've sold my soul to the devil; joined the Bad Mothers Club; become a replica of Sue Ellen Ewing (if you're old enough to remember "Dallas".)

The Little Guy was off school last week with a fairly bad cold. I pride myself not on molly-coddling my children but on keeping them home when they are clearly full of snot and germs. It bugs me when other parents send their offspring into school when they are obviously going to spread the cold far and wide. I understand that people have to go to work, but school is not day care, yada, yada, yada.

LG was off with your common-or-garden cold on Thursday, but it seemed to get worse over the course of the next few days. The Ball & Chain and I had an unusual "posh dinner" on Friday night and left the 16 year old in charge. About 9.30pm, (before the main course had arrived) came the first phone call. "Mom, he's thrown up four times, but he's gone back to bed now and is being a champ." Oh. OK, then. Given that we were less than half a mile away, we decided to stay. Then came the second call about 15 minutes later, reporting another up-chuck episode. OK, napkins folded, good-nights all round.

Poor little mite was not at all well when we got home. And what a mess too!

Saturday was not a good day for him, but yesterday he perked up a lot. "Oh good," I thought, "Freedom.  He's missed a lot of school and in 3rd grade (Year 4) it starts to make a difference. Besides, I'm running out of crafting projects. (See previous post)".

He coughed a lot last night, but was fast asleep on the two occasions I dragged my carcass in to check on him. (See, I am a good mother, really. A very tired mother at this point also.) This morning he dressed for school and I made his lunch, helped pack his school bag and generally behaved as if everything was normal. Unfortunately I made "We'll see" sort of noises to the Ball & Chain, and could possibly have muttered that if he was deemed unfit for school I would simply go and pick him up. All of a sudden I swear the Little Guy's colouring went from human to half-dead, and he began suggesting that he might not be well enough to go in. What's that saying "Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile?"

So I bustled him out the door with his dad, saying "Oh I'm sure you'll feel better when you get there."

I hate mothers like me. Who do I think I am, deliberately sending a germ-ridden child to mingle with his peers? But it's Thanksgiving on Thursday; I have people arriving tomorrow; I haven't been across the doors since Friday night; we have no food in the house; I am going insane.

Yer Honour.



15 comments:

  1. No you're not a bd mother ...your awful! ;) But aren't we all especially round the holidays. You should see me at Christmas here, if you're not on some sort of holiday activity and out of my hair really your life is not worth living. Thank god both boys have got to the stage I can leave them playing ponies all day down at the local stables!

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  2. LOL Fingers crossed for you that you don't get the dreaded phone call from school:)

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  3. Gah - didn't even make it to lunch time. School nurse says he's wheezing and should see a doc. So now I have put a call in and am waiting, and waiting.....

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  4. I was in The Bad Mom's club right up til they left the house for college...I escaped with my sanity...just barely...as you can tell by new blog...I've let the feline's take over and I just go lie down and have a nap...naps cure lots of ills, specially the sanity issue ones...hope you're still well enough for cooking and company...
    Sandi

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  5. Oh, I quite understand. Mine's off school too, though he's old enough to be left alone. Husband has been off for the last week as well, having had an operation, and is driving me NUTS! He has GOT to go back to work tomorrow. And when it comes to retirement, well, it's just not going to be allowed. Ever.

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  6. Oh don't even mention retirement. My husband is threatening to take early retirement and I feel as if I've only just got the last one off to school full -time. I'm hoping he just means he wants to stop being a big boss and just piddle about in his professional field - outside of the house!!

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  7. Oh gawd, how did it go, was he OK? I do that too, and then feel really bad when I have to pick them after they get sick everywhere. Happy Thanksgiving! Making green bean casserole this year :D

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  8. A Mod M - NO to the green bean casserole. It's banned, as are Brussels Sprouts apparently. Little Guy just has a really bad cold. Day 6 and he's still off school. I have basically given up trying to do anything. Hubby and I were out food and wine shopping at 9 o Clock last night. (Have to wait till the 16 year old is around to babysit.) Pah!

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  9. I am old enough. And I'm looking forward to the remake or second gen or whatever the new Dallas thing is.

    I remember one year being about 9 or 10 and I was ill on Thanksgiving. I could smell everything in the kitchen and the smells made me want to be sick the whole time. It was one of the worst illness I can remember. Probably just because I was missing out on fun stuff, rather than school. Hope he's well for tomorrow (and that no one else gets it!).

    PS Every time I see Green Bean Casserole somewhere I think of you. Dubious honour or what?! ;)

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  10. I hope the little fella is okay by now - it's been a long time right?
    Well Happy Thanksgiving to you all anyway. I hope he's back to his normal cheeky self.

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  11. Toni - Lucky you to live in Chicago! We visited there a couple of years ago and loved it so much we stayed a day too long and showed up at the airport 24 hours late! Adrenalin rush deluxe!

    I was an evil step-mom for a while. My rule was if he was too sick to go to school, it meant he had to stay in bed all day...he didn't miss much school. Evil of me, I know.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  12. It seems to be the case these days (and especially from some posts I've read this week about next Wednesday strike) that school is often just an excuse for free child care. I am ducking when I say that, by the way.

    I'm lucky that Amy doesn't get many coughs and colds and when she does, she's usually well enough to go to school. At the end of the day, she gets them from her peers. It's a vicious circle.

    CJ xx

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  13. You're not even close to being a bad mom.

    Hope you enjoyed your time together with your daughter at Thanksgiving.

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  14. I hardly think your a bad mom! A bad mom never knows it

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  15. Hope he's better now and you got all your things done. We've had several weeks of it in our house too - you made me feel a little better for feeling so furious that my youngest had to stay off childcare because he had a fever one day and was then perfectly fine (climbing up the walls at home) the next!

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