The Mini Van Soap Box

sick, disease, ill, cooties, laid up, peaked, pukey or queasy....Take your pick...They all pretty much mean the same thing. You feel like shit.

I think that sickness often brings out the true nature of people...or rather what their true nature could be.

Take a cancer patient. A mother with three children and a husband that she adores. Never complains - never falters. Takes her treatments....loses her hair.....But greets each day as it's her last. She fights. She never gives up.

A soldier loses a leg in battle. But instead of just sitting in his wheelchair and feeling sorry for himself - He fights back. He learns to run the marathon with a prosthetic.

It's becoming clear to me that in the face of GREAT hardship - is when we find our will to fight back and kick life in the ass.

That can not be said for the average illness.

My daughter has a killer cold. And not the "killer" I need to take her to the doctor kind. But more alone the lines of - her parents are going to kill her.

Give her a fever....and she's the sweetest child in the world. She wants to lay with me, and cuddle with me - she'll hold my hand and let me take care of her.

Give her the average every day cold - and she's Gunnar Hansen from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She will take down anyone in her path with whatever is handy. A lego to the forehead or a juice box to the groin. She transforms from the sweet angel of a daughter I have - to the devil incarnate.

The man and I have had a very serious dealing with the word patience in the last few days. Throw on top of the fact that she's hurling barbies dream car at us whenever she doesn't get her way - but she is also refusing to nap. Which, however, I do understand. She can't breathe...And trying to explain to a three year old that if she sat up a little in her bed she wouldn't cough so much, doesn't really work. She likes to sleep ON her face. But just because I understand why it's difficult for her to sleep - doesn't mean that I'm not tempted to give her a sippy cup filled with bourbon.

Just a couple hours of quiet for Mama and Daddy is all we ask sometimes. Give us some time to allow our temperatures to go back down to normal.

Anyway - the baby is sick. I do feel very bad for her and we are trying to make her as comfortable as possible. But right now, HER definition of comfortable is we give her full control of the television, every possible toy she owns will decorate every room, we'll hand over the keys to the car so she can go where she wants, and Mama and Daddy will move out of the house.

I can already feel my parents snickering that we get back what we gave....However, if you say that to me I may have to put her on a bus and send her to you until the cold has past.