sick day

I've been out with a nasty flu-cold-thing for a few days. I've officially decided that being sick as an 'adult' is not nearly as great as being sick when you're a kid.

In my pre-tonsillectomy years, I often got strep throat twice a month, all winter long. There was a little glamor in going to the nurse's office, a little vindication that I wasn't faking it when her thermometer said I had a fever. Mom would buy "feel better pop" (ginger ale) and hard candy and popsicles to soothe my throat, and tuck me in on the couch with a blanket. It was the only time I ever got to watch "The Price is Right," and it was wonderful.

I'm glad that my parents were not of the "school or bed" variety when it came to sick days. They let me read, or play Super Mario, or watch TV, so long as I was resting. They nursed me until I was feeling better, then they helped me get back on track with my missed schoolwork. Granted, I wasn't the kind of kid to abuse their help, either -- I can only think of a couple times that I exaggerated illness to get out of school.

Anyway, today I'm thankful for my parents, and for the way they took care of me. And they're still taking care of me: just yesterday my mom and Frances spent 20 minutes suggesting soft foods I should get at the store and debating which would be the best medicine for me to take. They're awesome.