So Emma has officially finished up her first (and hopefully only) case of Roseola. Temps of 102-104 for 4 days have NOT been fun. And neither is the rash that broke out this morning. The good news is that the rash means the fever is gone and she’s not contagious anymore. Good thing, considering we didn’t even know what she had until today!
It’s funny how I always question whether or not I’m too overprotective of Emma. My family and friends will tell you I’m ultra-protective of Emma’s sleep schedule, and I tend to keep her home if she even shows a slight sign of a cold. It makes life more difficult, yes, but I kinda feel like that’s what you do when you decide to have children. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about the kids and the sacrifices that come along with that. In other words, that trip to Target will just have to wait. Plus, it’s not fair to other children or parents. No one wants a sick kid, and I certainly don’t want to be the cause of some child’s misery.
When Emma’s low-grade temp started to rise on Friday, I wondered if I was being silly when I decided to skip our morning play date and small group that night. I wondered if we were being lazy and making excuses when we stayed home from church on Sunday morning. Were we overreacting? In this case, I think we made the right choices. Otherwise there would be a lot of sick kids, and it would be our fault.
Granted, we did take a trip to Sam’s Club on Saturday when her temp seemed to be stable. But wouldn’t you know it—the second we got home; it shot up. Lesson learned. We shouldn’t have gone.
So what’s my point? Not really sure, but I guess all of this has reaffirmed that being a good parent comes first, even if it means putting a few things off. Even if it means having people think you are a little nutty or (gasp!) that you put your child first.
I know so many people that run their kids around, even if they are tired, sick, etc. I don’t think I’ll ever be that kind of parent. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but most of the time, it can wait.