in·flu·ence
/ˈinflo͝oəns/ noun the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.
There is really nothing that adequately prepares you for some of the hats you wear as a mom.
I didn't go into the medical field, so most of the tricks I possess are a by-product of being a farm kid whose mom worked in the local clinic.
Need a wound cleaned and bandaged? I got you. Also quite capable of taping ankles after spending a few too many years taping my own for sports.
What I am not particularly good at is rationalizing with a child about why taking awful-tasting medicine is a good thing.
It seems that no matter how many angles you approach cause and effect from, they all lead to the same destination: resistance.
The last time he was this sick was when he was a toddler. Toddlers are not quite as discerning about why ‘fill in the blank’ tastes a little funny. We've done Tamiflu in ice cream and all sorts of things in juice, but that was a long time ago.
Enter the tween years.
Where mind over matter is in full swing.
Dayquil was a one-sip, two-sip, spit-out, and hard pass. Being taught how to swallow a Dayquil pill was a hard pass, complete with a gnarly side-eye.
It took some serious negotiation to agree to a small dose of Nyquil. Part of that negotiation included a stern "Can you go in the office and stop pressuring me?" Happy to, but for the love of all things holy, take the drink and use your chaser. (SunDrop was the agreed to solution.)
It's hard to see your child sick. We had some really rough years back when and have been fortunate since. But this one is a doozy. At least now, he is old enough to explain and understand what's going on.
Fortunately, Walgreens still sells chewable ibuprofen, which tastes better than the chewable acetaminophen, according to the resident critic.
Fast forward 24 hours and quality time spent with the humidifier, a bunch of hot steamy baths, the meds that could be negotiated, and a lot of rest.
Turns out none of those things can resolve what turned out to be strep. Props to whoever at the pediatrician's office thought of giving kids a popsicle as a distraction and reward for the throat swab. That's a serious process improvement over how I remember it!
On to horrible-tasting antibiotics and a whole new ‘shot-chaser-pallette cleanser’ strategy.
Chalky meds + SunDrop + Vitamin C gummies = a more successful day two.
We are now knee-deep in the ‘you have to wash everything’ laundry phase that follows a strep diagnosis.
Having the soothing smell of Downy permeate the house when it's frigid outside is not the worst thing ever.
And maybe just maybe, next time, he will listen when I say Taco Bell for lunch isn't a great idea when you aren't feeling good.
February 20, 2025
0220
