The Ghost of Christmas Past

So where was I? I had promised to tell the tale of our Christmas past, and I left off just as things were getting good...

In the days leading up to Christmas, Henry had developed a deep, congested cough which had at least one of his parents concerned. A quick word here about how I tend to deal with stressful events. If the roof of our house were on fire, I might decide to wait to see if it started to rain before calling the fire department. Why worry? Leslie, on the other hand, is much more sensible. She would dial 911.

So here's what happened on Christmas Day. A few hours after we had finished opening presents, Henry's cough seemed to worsen and his breathing became wheezy. Leslie was concerned. My response? Don't worry, he's fine. Yeah, he's got a cough, but kids get coughs all the time. Nothing to worry about.

After about half an hour of discussion and wheezing, we took him to the Emergency Room where he was diagnosed with PNEUMONIA. There was a television playing "A Christmas Story" in the exam room, and when the nurse came and gave us the results of the x-ray, Miss Shields was talking in the background and warning Ralphie Parker that if he got his Red Ryder BB gun, he'd probably shoot his eye out. So in that moment two timeless maternal warnings were intersecting; all that was missing was a reminder not to play ball in the house...

Long story short. We took Henry home with an antibiotic prescription, then returned the next day with Kate, who would be diagnosed with bronchitis. Over the next few days we only ventured out of the house once, on the 27th for a trip to the doctor's office -- where the nurse actually shook her head and laughed at us for bringing our sick children for medical attention. "There won't be any change in only two days," she said. (We scolded her, then ratted her out to the doctor.)

All of this brings me to my point. Because of the pneumonia and the bronchitis in the early part of the week, and then a few rainstorms towards the end, our entire family has been cooped up together with very few opportunities for relief. We were able to have short visits with both sets of grandparents, but that was about it.

And here's my confession: even as the last days of my vacation have been slipping away like sand through my fingers, in many ways this has been the longest week of my life. On the one hand, I know that I should be grateful, that I should be happy to spend my entire day with my three dear children, but on the other hand...

The bickering between Alison and Henry begins about two minutes after they wake up. Perhaps Henry has the blue plate that Alison wants, or maybe Alison makes the mistake of looking at Henry through the steam of her oatmeal. Whatever the cause, the result is the same. One screaming at the other, the other screaming back, and all I can think about are two things: the possibility of naptime, the certainty of bedtime.

The worst part is that I know I haven't been a good father over the past seven days. Those who know me would probably describe me as patient, but my patience has deserted me recently. I've raised my voice at Alison and Henry each day during our self-imposed quarantine, even though I know that loud words are easily ignored, and I haven't given my youngest daughter the time she deserves.

The rain will eventually stop falling, the illnesses will fade, and life will return to normal soon enough. I'm positive that when I go back to work on Tuesday I'll wish that I were home in the middle of the chaos, part father and part referee, but until then I have no choice but to search for the silver lining in all of this coughing, wheezing, and pouring rain. At least I know the roof isn't on fire.

Comments

[anne]

The past 2 weeks I've been irritable and I didn't know why until I realized it was because I was juggling three kids at home all day... then I started counting the days until they went back to school. (TOMORROW!)

[David]

Redecorating. Colds. Two different continents but the same old problems. I don't feel quite as bad about them now having read this.