Under the weather

Our kids rarely get sick.  I'm not saying that to brag about our parenting or health habits, which are as slapdash as any you might find.  But years can go by between their doctor visits for anything other than a routine checkup.

Maybe because of this, we get more anxious when they do feel poorly.  Cady Gray threw up at school this afternoon about thirty minutes before dismissal, and she's currently in bed half asleep and unable to keep anything down, even water.  I think it's fair to say that Noel gets nervous at stomach upsets, certain that the trouble will spread throughout the family soon.  My anxiety is in trying to decide when a malady can be dealt with at home, and when a doctor needs to be consulted.

And my mind immediately goes to the remedies that I'm most familiar with -- those that were employed on me as a kid in similar circumstances.  Ritz crackers, Coke (virtually the only time we kids were allowed to drink Coke at home), and jello were the prescription for our bouts with stomach flu or indigestion.  As I was thinking about Cady Gray's prospects over the next day or so, I mentally scoured our pantry to make sure we were stocked with those essentials, and rehearsed how I would judge whether she were ready to give those foods a try.

I hope Cady Gray's illness is short, and that the rest of us stay healthy.  As long as this is an ordinary occurrence and not the start of something big, it's probably good practice for us as we try to keep our parenting toolkit sharp and up to date -- and our worry-meter in the green zone.