Sick Day Survival

It’s a sick day at our house. Boy #3 is on the couch with a raging fever and sore throat, Boy #2 has a hacking cough and runny nose, Boy #4 has a runny nose and incessant need for Mom, and Mom, well, Mom has serious sinus issues.

Activities for the day: Cancelled. We were supposed to see a play, attend storytime, tumble at gymnastics and whack balls at baseball practice.

There are hundreds of articles filled with sick day solutions. (For some good ideas, click here and here.) But we didn’t make clever crafts or read aloud for hours on end. Sick days, at my house, are an exercise in survival.

Want some real-world, sick day survival techniques? Try these:

  • Doze on couch every chance you get. That means closing your eyes when you cuddle with the sick child. Trust me: he’ll never know the difference.
  • Make Malt-o-Meal for breakfast. Watch it slowly congeal as no one eats it.
  • Make smoothies. Blend yogurt, milk, fruit, ice cubes and vanilla in a blender. Voila! All important fluids, and hearty enough to count as a meal.
  • Let the dishes go. My counter currently has remains from both breakfast and lunch.
  • Watch a lot of TV. My theory? One day (or three or four or ten) of constant TV in a year will not kill their brains.

How ’bout you? What do you do to survive sick days?

The Building Boys Bulletin

The Building Boys Bulletin Newsletter gives you the facts, encouragement, and inspiration you need to help boys thrive. Written by Jennifer L.W. Fink, mom of four sons and author of Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males, Building Boys Bulletin includes:

The Building Boys Bulletin is funded by direct subscriptions from readers like you. If you’d like the full experience, please consider becoming a paying subscriber.

“I learned a lot about helping boys thrive over the past 20+ years — most of it the hard way! I’m eager to share what I’ve learned to make your path a little easier.”   – Jennifer

You May Also Enjoy

4 Responses

  1. Here’s a bad-mom idea: Don’t give them Motrin all day because it works too well and they get their usual energy back. It’s sort of nice when they’re feverish and compliant, plus they nap.

  2. Sending healing thoughts your way. We had a sick week not that long ago. We had a Scooby Doo marathon that got the boys through it all, and I have a new aversion to it! Smoothies are popular around here, too!

  3. Christina,
    Guilty as charged! We have definitely held off on the Motrin in order to encourage a nap, or so that we could time it and give it before bedtime.

    I’ve also been known not to give it before heading to the doctor, ’cause if I do, the kid looks too healthy and they start wondering why we’re there! Although, today Boy #3 was 3 hours into the Motril and still looking pretty pitiful when we went to see the doc.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males

Building Boys

You can purchase the newest book from Building Boys at the following websites: