Counting on Gray Hair...

Do you ever have one of the “mommy sad” moments? When a fleeting emotion just catches you off guard and surprises you with its intensity?

The morning routine of getting kids ready for school can be a bit monotonous, even stressful at times. But this morning was fun. The kids were chatty, playful, cooperative and even ate all their breakfast (eureka!).

I sat with them in the hallway, in my robe and jammies, waiting for my carpool buddy to pick them up. Sitting on the stairs with the kids towering above me, my daughter noticed a gray hair. “Mom! You have a gray hair!” “That’s what happens when you get old.” “You’re not old! Let me pull it out.” “Oh that’s okay, more will just grow back.” “But it’s really noticeable!” “Okay- pull it out.” She pinches the hair tightly in between her fingers. Just then the horn honked and my daughter jumped, yanking the hair out from it’s root. “Ouch!” We all laughed and I kissed them goodbye and waved them off to school.

As I closed the door, still smiling, the emotion hit. I love them so much. They are such great kids. (Even though there are times that they drive me nuts with their typical kid antics like fighting with each other or leaving their junk everywhere for the “maid” aka “m.o.m”.) I can’t imagine life without them. Someday, they are going to grow up and move out and I won’t hear their excited giggles or wild laughter or find their handprints all over my freshly cleaned stainless steel appliances. I might actually miss having a warm little body come into our room at night, waking me up, and snuggling in to the “big bed” because of a scary dream.

I know they’ll grow up; they are growing up right before my eyes. I guess this is probably something all moms feel. But the emotion of the moment is especially poignant because I realize that they might “leave” home in a different way. Having what is still termed a “life-shortening illness” despite the great medical advances that continue to occur at an accelerated pace, makes me feel especially affected by the moment.

Sometimes I’m almost afraid to love them but I can’t help myself. So for now, I guess I’ll continue to enjoy our time together, moment by moment. For now, I’ll put my hope in God’s promise not to give me more than I can handle. And for now, I’ll continue to grow gray hair and keep up the faith that I’ll see theirs’ turn gray someday, too.

*************
Lisa C. Greene is the mother of two children with cystic fibrosis, a certified parent coach and public speaker. She is also the co-author with Foster Cline MD of the award-winning Love and Logic book “Parenting Children with Health Issues.” For more information, see www.ParentingChildrenWithHealthIssues.com.

For more Tips for CF Parents, visit Lisa’s website at www.TipsForCFParents.com.

CF Mom: Super Sleuth Extraordinaire

My 8 year old daughter has cystic fibrosis and takes about 10 to 12 different prescriptions each day to keep things working right in her little body. We just started two new medications- an antibiotic and a steroid to try and combat the chronic cough she has been unable to shake since last December. I carefully queried the doctors and pharmacist about drug interactions, possible side effects, etc. Sounds like it should be fine so I gave her the first doses of both drugs last night before bed.

She woke up this morning complaining of pain in her thighs, knees and ankles; pain so bad it was hard for her to sit in the chair and eat breakfast. I grab the paperwork from the pharmacist- you know the ones with microscopic fine print about drug reactions. Nothing mentioned in there about muscle pain. But everything else I read scared me to half to death. “Honey, if you get a rash or a bad tummy ache or blood in your pee, be sure to tell mommy right away.” “Okay,” she says. Hmm. A search on the internet doesn’t tell me anything new. “Honey, if you have really dark colored poo or you start to throw up, be sure to tell mommy.” “Okay,” she says.

We decide to wait for a couple of hours to see what happens; she can call me from school if it gets worse. I give her ibuprofen to help her feel better. We finish eating breakfast and head off for school.

As we drive, my son starts talking about the field and track event coming up and how he and his buddies are practicing by running around the building. Then, my daughter pipes up with, “Yeah, we had to run around that great big building FOUR TIMES yesterday in PE!” Me: “What??????” Her: “Yeah, we were really tired and our legs were hurting!” :-0

So much for being a pharmaceutical super sleuth. My daughter simply has a case of “sore muscles.” Go figure…

*********

Lisa Greene, BS CCP
Lisa C. Greene has been helping parents raise healthy, happy families since 2002. She is a certified parent coach, parent educator, and mother of two children with cystic fibrosis. She is also the co-author with Foster Cline MD of the award-winning book “Parenting Children with Health Issues: Essential Tools, Tips and Tactics for Raising Kids with Chronic Illness, Medical Conditions and Special Healthcare Needs.” Visit Lisa’s website at www.HappyHeartFamilies.com