I am bad at being sick. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have been sick since getting married and a few less than that how many sick days I have taken.
Before having kids, I might have taken a little more time to get better. If I stayed home sick I would have the whole house to myself and could recoup.
The thing I always found was that if I was home with a day off, there was a list forming in my mind of everything that I could be doing instead of laying on the couch. Even if I was stuck on the couch, I tried to figure out what I could accomplish.
I have never been very good at napping. I usually wake up feeling worse than when I feel asleep and then have troubles sleeping at night.
In previous jobs, if I were to miss a day I would probably get behind on work and, although it may not be the way to go, I would still head into the office to avoid the mess I would encounter the next day. I also didn’t have an abundance of time off so using it for sick and not fun was not very appealing either.
When I was pregnant with both of the girls I was sick almost every morning, afternoon and night. I had to learn how to work around my frequent trips to the bathroom, putting the sickness aside to try to have a life along with my growing belly. After the girls were born there were no more sick days. Even if I am not feeling well I am still Mommy — and Mommy is always in demand.
I often envy my husband who can shut himself in our room and sleep the day away when he isn’t feeling well. The girls are content with the explanation of Daddy being sick and play the day away without bothering him at all.
I do not get that kind of leeway. I can be coughing, sneezing, fevering, you name it, I am still called upon to help go potty, build a princess castle or whatever the girls may need. Now, don’t think my husband doesn’t help out because he does his best. The girls can just be resilient in their requests for their mom.
I know I don’t help the cause by giving in. I have always had a problem giving up my responsibilities to someone else because it makes me feel like a burden. At least with vacation it is typically scheduled and a plan is in place for responsibilities.
I also know that to get better I need to take the time to let myself heal. So here I am sitting on the couch, heeling up, and doing the best I can to get better while still getting things done. Baby steps.
Contact Jamee A. Pierson
at jpierson@newtondailynews.com