Illness: a Bonding Activity

For the past 2 weeks our Sweetpea has had a cough. Last weekend she had a low grade fever and that cinched it for me - we were going to visit the doctor. On Monday she was seen by a pediatrician and diagnosed with bronchitis and given an antibiotic. It seemed to be helping as no more fevers occurred and she seemed to be responding, except for what I thought was GI aggravation from the medicine. Thursday she has some added difficulties and Friday we went to see a respiratory doctor who diagnosed her as having asthma as well as bronchitis. She now has to do breathing therapies 3+ times a day, something she doesn't like sitting still for.

All this sitting for the therapy, which takes over half a hour each time, has made her less than agreeable to doing them. I have taken this time to play card games with her as she sits. Her favorite game now is U*N*O. She thrills to beat the socks off me and mocks despair when I win handily.

I would never have thought that just having to sit and play hand after hand of cards with her would grant me another notch in her bonding belt, but it seems to be doing just that. I am now the reluctant one to see the clock tick over to the therapy time, and stop my day to play cards. I am having to see the long term gains in her heart that can be made by my consistent sacrifice in my schedule.

I recall when I was also incapacitated for daily intervals when I was in jr. high, my mom had to sit with me. She chose to read to me. I am sure now that she could have been doing many other things rather than reading aloud to her pre-teenager but those memories are some of the sweetest and most dear.

I wonder if this will turn into one of those types of memories for my Sweetpea. I hope it will.