Nov 10, 2007

Day 10 - Making Choices

Everyday we make choices about what we do, what we say, and how we react. I find it more challenging to make decisions that affect my daughter because I don't want it to be the wrong thing to do. I want to keep doing the things I do but then there is the amazing little person who has needs and wants too.

Our little Miss has experienced one sickness after another since turning one. She was sick free for 11 months and 3 weeks. Then, an ear infection that needed to be treated twice and had a lovely high fever accompanying it the second time. Roseola that landed us in the ER with a 104.6 fever. And then throwing up at school with a stomach bug. All of these lovely childhood diseases seemed to occur smack in the middle of other planned activities and therefore required changing our plans.

I know this is what being a parent is all about. Being flexible and putting her first before any other plans is a priority. I find it hard to make that choice for several reasons. Her being sick usually doesn't involve lethargy, clinging, and being held. She has been a happy child even through her illnesses and so when I can't send her to daycare I feel weird calling in sick because she's not the usual kind of kid sick.

This weekend we had many choices to make regarding our participation in the 3 day walk, taking care of a baby who'd thrown up at school but only once at home, and a friend's 40th birthday. Too many choices...do we take her to lunch and hang out with the walkers? Do I go to my pitstop on day 3? Do we hire a babysitter?

Too many choices too make and too many people I don't want to disappoint and we still want to do it all. Ahhh.. the joys of being a parent.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obviously you go the the 40th thingy. Everyone will be throwing up there!

Samantha said...

I relate SO MUCH to this post. Although I know "the F word" (flexibility) is what parenting is about, I find it incredibly hard to accept the times that I have to change EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING that is planned because the little one is sick. It's so different than when David and I are sick!

Sometimes I feel like being a mom is a big lesson for me in how to give up control issues and perfectionism. ;)