Less than 1 week into Daycare and my son is already sick. I suppose this should be a common enough occurrence but it certainly doesn’t make Mom & Dad feel any better about putting our child into daycare. Is the environment clean? As far as I know. Is the staff trained? Yes. Are they kind and caring? They certainly seem to be. So what is the problem? I’m really not sure. Perhaps it is the other kids.
My son has been super healthy since his birth… so hearing him snore because his sinuses are clogged is not a pretty sight (or sound). His coughing is also disturbing. I know all of the veteran parents out there are probably sympathizing through nostalgia (laughing while dealing with the knowledge that their children can now speak, walk, lie, party, and throw tantrums) but I appreciate your trip down memory lane. Your walk is a bus ride… and mine a brief jump to before my son was in daycare.
I can’t reasonably expect myself, or my wife, to be able to protect our son from the common cold. It does feel like we’ve let him down somehow though. His endless difficulties with nursing and problems sitting in certain positions because of his illness. Our hope at this point, of course, is that his illness doesn’t progress to something worse. The cold is a manageable affliction despite it’s evocation of sympathy and empathy from his parents. He’s happier about it than we are… smiling all the way.
I suppose we must take comfort, then, in the fact that our son takes comfort in us. His smiles make us forget to remember what bad parents we feel like and actually aren’t. Each morning he’ll wake up again, stuffy nose and all, to find two parents who love him. He’ll have breakfast in bed and spend the day playing while his parents work. Life isn’t so bad. And he’ll see us in the evening and remind us with a smile that we’re doing okay. Thanks, Son!