If you reread yesterday’s post, you might notice a bit of fear under all of the stiff-upper-lipness. Fear is something the little man inspires in me a lot. His ability to run out there (literally) and face the world head on is very frightening. It is sometimes the practical things that worry me (running into traffic) and sometimes the realities of growing up (and leave me…).

Feelings of fear

Right now, I’m sitting at the computer, listening to him slowly wake up. He’s slept about an hour and a half past his usually wake up time.In the past, that sleeping in would cause me fear. Now I see it as an opportunity to have some quiet time before the day gets busy, and sometimes also a quiet space from where I can confront my fears.

Sometimes I wish someone had warned me that being a parent is almost as much about fear as it is about love. It would have been nice to be prepared.

We’ve been very lucky with the little man. In his three short years, he’s only been sick three times. Once with a minor cold, once with roseola (that was fun), and once again with a nasty cold today.

Sick little man relaxing on the sofa

Dealing with a child with a cold, especially with his first real serious cold, is an exercise in patience. He broke down in tears several times this morning because he just didn’t understand what was wrong. He kept whimpering and pointing at his nose and throat. And, while he is quite vocal and fairly good at understanding what we try to tell him, it is really hard to explain to a 3-year old why he is sick.

Thankfully, a little while after this picture was taken (and a long while after he calmed down), the little man was nearly back to normal. If I had half the energy he has when he is sick when I am well, I could take on the world!

I know this is one of the first in a long line of illness to come. Because of “advances in medicine”, we will likely get to skip over some childhood illness, like chicken pox. But, there will be colds and flus and goodness knows what else yet to come. Sometimes all it will take is some tissues and a hug to help him feel better, and sometimes it will take a whole lot more.

It seems like the little man is going to be That Kid. You know, the one that is allergic to peanuts, so no one can have peanut butter or store bought cookies, or any of that good stuff.

Okay, that isn’t entirely true.  Yes, the little man is allergic to peanuts. We will always have to carry an EpiPen with us (the allergist suggests two in case the ambulance can’t get to us quickly enough). We will always have to read labels, and watch what he eats. One day, when he is away from home more, we may even have to get him a MedicAlert bracelet. But, because he isn’t as severely allergic as some people (e.g. people who react even to inhaled peanut dust), we have no intention of becoming draconian about it. No “No Peanuts” t-shirts for him, and no signs on our door.

I’m not sure what the future will hold. There is a small chance he will grow out of it. Or he may not. Either way, it is important that he learns to manage his own allergy as soon as he is able. It is his (and our) problem to deal with, not his school’s or anyone else.