“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Has your family been dealing with a constant rotation of cold and flu bugs? Does it feel like you may never enter into society again? Or like you are doomed to be wiping noses and trying to ease coughs for eternity? Sweet, exhausted mom… if you are surrounded by Kleenex, have a toddler sneezing directly into your mouth, and can’t see over the mound of unfolded laundry that has taken over your living room, you are in good company!
Like me, you have probably done all the things you can to keep your family healthy during this crazy season. I clean, wash the towels, and change out toothbrushes after ever sickness that passes through-we have been through a LOT of toothbrushes! We eat healthy meals, take vitamins, exercise, wash our hands, you know the drill.
Regardless of the precautions I’ve taken, this year all of my effort seems to be in vain. I asked my kids at one point if they had been licking the desks at school because that seemed like the only plausible explanation for the constant sickness. I know they don’t lick desks, and I’m sure that your children don’t either. It’s just where we are at right now, and it feels downright discouraging.
iStock | Syahrir Maulana
I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that my kids have missed more school in the last few months than they usually do in an entire year. By the time the germs work their way through all four kids and sometimes my husband and I, two or three weeks have gone by and a new germ has already begun to circulate. I almost laugh at the idea of making plans because I feel like the odds of us being able to keep them are so slim at this point. It’s hard not to focus on all of the school, sports, and social gatherings we miss. I feel envious of the families that can actually attend church in person. Sometimes it feels like we will never be back there.
That’s not true, of course. I know this won’t go on forever and that at some point, we will have some relief from the cold and flu trenches that we have all been huddled in. I know it could be much worse and I’m so grateful that it isn’t a serious illness my family is dealing with. Even so, we are human and us moms can still get bogged down with a negative attitude about the cycle of sickness we have been living in.
iStock | Svetikd
I love being there for my children as I nurse them back to health and it breaks my heart when they don’t feel well, but there have definitely been some moments when I just can’t take it anymore! To be honest, my energy and patience have been running pretty thin this year, maybe yours have too. With more sicknesses likely ahead this winter, let’s try to give ourselves some grace as we navigate our world of cold medicine and humidifiers. Remember that you aren’t the only family going through this even if it looks like everyone else is functioning normally. Keep going mom, I’ll see you on the other side!
PIN THIS
Read more of Maria’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
