Sick and crabby

Everybody gets a little crabby when they’re sick. Namine is no exception.

Namine still has this nasty cough, although she fell asleep and stayed asleep a little easier last night than the night before. And we can’t bring her in to see the pediatrician because she hasn’t been sick for ten days yet.

We’ve encountered this before. Namine has a weaker immune system — she always has — so she gets sick fairly easy. (This is one reason of many to homeschool her, too.) We know the signs, so we would bring her into the pediatrician before things got out of hand, because then we’d end up in the hospital.

But the pediatrician’s office won’t see her. We’re told things like “see how she does,” and “wait it out.” So we’re waiting, and hoping that this does not blossom into something for which Namine needs to be hospitalized.

In the meantime, Namine has not exactly been at her best behavior. We’ve seen this before. She is, at most times, a reasonable and logical child; but feeling crappy just throws that right out the window. When you don’t feel well, you don’t want to do anything. And when Namine doesn’t feel well, you can bet that she applies her strong will against us — that same strong will that serves her so well in therapy, school, and pretty much every other part of her life. Of course, we aren’t exactly pushovers either. So then it pretty much becomes a case of when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

If this morning was any indication, though, Namine is starting to feel better. She was up early, but she was chipper and very happy to see me — even for only a few minutes — before I headed to work. In any case, she seems to have gotten over being mad at me.

Namine does not like it that I have to work. (No child does, I’m sure.) Most days she understands, but every once in a while she gets frustrated or just plain mad that I’m gone all day. Yesterday was one such instance.

Despite being sick, Namine had behaved well for Jessica all day. But as soon as I got home, everything kind of fell apart. She refused to do pretty much anything; she was uncooperative (even in helping to set the table, something she usually enjoys doing) and obstinate. I had had enough after about two hours of this, and I got mad.

I should not have lost my temper, and after I had given myself some time to calm down, I told her so. I read in some parenting magazine that you shouldn’t apologize to your kids — in order to establish dominance or some crap, I don’t know — but I don’t agree with that. When you make a mistake, own up to it.

After I apologized, Namine apologized for her behavior too. I gave her a hug and told her she was forgiven. She told me that she had acted that way because she was mad at me. She was mad because I was at work all day, and not at home with her and Jessica.

Now that I knew what the problem was, we could talk about it. I explained to Namine that I couldn’t know she was upset — especially with me in particular — unless she told me. Having gotten that over with, neither of us was mad any more.

We read another chapter of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and tucked her into bed. She soon fell fast asleep.

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