The Emergency Sick Kit
I met a mom once who said she nearly died during the Covid pandemic. She was very ill, camped out in her upstairs bedroom in a house full of people. She said no one ever checked on her or offered her a meal or anything. She said she only survived because there was a bathroom close where she could get water. “They forgot me,” she said. You could tell that even though it had been a while since it happened she was still hurt by it.
Moms are the care givers not the care receivers. It feels almost wrong to accept care sometimes when you’re a care giver. Now, I’m not saying we should be all posh and leave our children to starve while we go have our nails and hair done each week, but self care is important, if only to keep us from becoming bitter against the people we spend so much time caring for.
I was super sick a few weekends ago. It really got me down. Everything in my home stopped for days. The dishes piled up along with the laundry, trash was everywhere, the dog ran out of water and food, and I only got fed when there were too many tater tots made. My husband’s idea of helping me out is to tell me it doesn’t need done. My daughter waits around for me to “feel better” so I can do it myself.
I finally did feel better on a Monday. I was wiped out and I didn’t think it was fair (or kind) that I had several days worth of work to do before I could get on with my life, and no energy to do it. Needless to say, there was a big discussion about it. My daughter helped me get caught up on the dishes that she should have done while I was sick. I hope next time will be different, but I decided I never wanted to feel like the Covid mom again. If my family wasn’t going to remember me I would plan ahead. It was not unwise or selfish for me to spend a little bit of money on an Emergency Sick Kit for myself. Here’s what I did. I made a list of everything that would have been helpful while I was sick. Things to comfort me and things that would have helped the house run more smoothly.
My Emergency Sick Kit
Tissues with lotion (2 boxes per person)
Nose Better gel (Affiliate link, but this is great stuff.)
4 cans of soup
Popcicles
Juice
Breath Again roll on
Cough Syrup
Blue Straws
Chap stick
Cough drops
Lotion
Fuzzy socks
Tylenol
Neck roll pillow
Easy menu for the family or a few freezer meals they can heat up
An activity that I can do from the chair so I can still feel productive
Your kit will be different from mine but if you wait until you’re sick to try to put this together it will not work. You just don’t have the mental energy when you’re sick. Having these things on hand, all in one place whenever possible, is going to make a huge difference. And once you have your own kit made, make one for everyone else in the house. Because no one should feel forgotten when they’re sick.
