Caring for Sick Kids – Pausing Homeschool

We skipped school this week because the weather was unusually nice for May in Phoenix. It was in the 60s! Typically, we are in the 80s or even 90s in May. My plan was to enjoy the weather, relax and get some things done. However, halfway through the week, my kids all came down with a nasty head cold. We were still able to do some fun things, but we spent some days at home since everyone was tired. Caring for sick kids are some of the hardest weeks. I almost find myself wondering how to keep everyone busy and happy when four little kids are sick.

The beginning of the week we did get out. We went hiking on a trail close by. My kids loved it. My daughter wore her ballet outfit. It was cute to a ballerina running around on a desert trail.  No, she doesn’t take ballet lessons. She just dresses like she does. We also went to a park with a friend the day after. Then came the cold. I’m glad I planned to pause homeschooling and take a week off. We would have had to take it off or at least slowed with a cold anyway.

Changing My To-Do List

I had some things I wanted to get done this week – organizing toys, sorting through clothes, cleaning the fans and blinds, and other stuff. I actually did end up getting some of those things done, but when my kids are sick, instead of following my to do list, I need to change it. It should read, “Take care of sick children.” God gives me twenty-four hours in a day to do all that I am responsible for doing. He controls the circumstances of each day. If he gives me sick kids, then my manmade to-do list should fall by the wayside.

I tend to consider a day a good day if I got a lot of things done, but that’s not always the best way to evaluate a day. Not all work has visible results that merit praise from others. Some work is unseen, but that doesn’t make it less valuable. God sees the mom that leaves a task unfinished in order to nurse a sick baby or to clean up throw up. The task that a mom was in the middle of doing is not what needs to be accomplished at the moment a sick child needs her. I personally don’t like leaving things undone, so that can be hard for me. 

Good Works Prepared Beforehand

Ephesians 2:10 says, ” For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

All my good works that I will ever do are known and planned by God. Caring for sick children is work that pleases God and has been ordained by him– not matter how much throw up and snot is involved. When it seems like I am not accomplishing much, I have to remind myself that I am responsible for caring for my children, and I need to respond correctly to each circumstance that comes my way (as best I can!). My house might be a mess, but if all I did was care for sick kids, then I did what I suppose to do for that day. There’s joy in knowing that you’re in the right place and doing the right thing, even if part of the experience is unpleasant (throw up, snot, crabbiness).

One day I felt like I got nearly nothing done that I had set out to do, but I did take care of everyone, made three meals, read to my kids, changed diapers, folded laundry, called AAA and got our battery replaced, picked up our groceries, and finally put everyone to bed. It didn’t seem like much at the time, especially when considering that I set out to do more, but we made it through the day and everyone was cared for. So, it was a good day.

Short Activities

What’s frustrating about a cold is that you’re not that sick, but you’re still sick enough you don’t want to do a whole lot. Also, everything gets thrown off because you can’t see anyone or go anywhere. I find that boys take a hard hit with a cold. That’s also tough. This past week, I found that short activities worked well with my sick children. Between helping the three-year old on the potty and holding the fussy baby, I didn’t really have time for a whole lot. Here are some short activities we did.

• Read alouds (I do those all the time, but they work great when kids are sick. They need the snuggles on the couch)
• Gardening (We planted pumpkin seeds, watered them, and that was that)
• Painting (we painted some clay snakes from a project from last week)
• Did errands that did not require anyone to go into a store 
• Popsicles outside (Why get my dining room floor messy? We go outside)
• Super short walks (10-15 minutes)
• Find toys that haven’t played with for a while
• Washed windows

Early Bedtime and Expectations

It’s exhausting being sick. After dinner, I could just see the younger ones all slowly falling apart. Early bedtime it is! My kids usually need an extra half hour or so of sleep when they are sick. I also just want some extra quiet time for myself.

Having sick kids means I have to adjust my expectations for myself and for my kids when they are sick. I show them a bit more grace when they aren’t feeling great. Afterwards, we buckle up and reset the standard. 

Quiet Activities

Doing quiet, calming activities help a lot. I let my kids watch TV, but I have a limit. It’s not going to be one all day even if they are sick. It’s hard to strike a balance, but what worked was separating and doing something quiet. Then come back together for a read aloud, and then separate or play nicely together. Here are some quiet activities they liked.

• A board game 
• Drawing pad
• Cars
• Audiobooks
• coloring
• map making (one of my boys loves to make maps)

Basic Things

There are some basic things that are important to focus on when caring for sick kids. Have they been drinking water? Did they eat a nutritious meal? If not, that can explain why they are very crabby even with a cold. Did they go outside? Playing outside and getting sunshine is good even if you’re not feeling 100%.

Last Thoughts

We get a cold about every two or three months. One year we were sick every other week for a few months. It was awful, but we got through it. Sometimes the smallest things, like caring for a sick kid, can be sanctifying. Mom keeps going and taking care of everyone, even if she is sick too. It’s a lot of sacrifice in some ways – feeding the baby in the middle when you’re exhausted, canceling plans, being home for days without seeing friends, managing the house instead of sleeping.

My kids will be better soon, and I will forget all about the kids’ fussiness and exhaustion, but I hope my ability to joyfully lay aside that to-do list when other needs pop up continues to grow.

I wrote a post on Common Place Quarterly a while ago about sick kids. Feel free to take a look.

https://commonplacequarterly.substack.com/p/uncommon-thoughts-about-the-common

Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com