On Sick Days
Perfect attendance has never, but never, been a priority of mine. If I had 10 sick days at school, then I would take every one of them. However, I am by no stretch of the imagination a sickly person. My sick days are really “mental health days.” Just that day to do absolutely nothing, sit around, watch television, be lazy, and bask in the general, I’m not working and everyone else is glory of the day. Such mental health days were so important to me that once when I was working at Kinko’s, I actually fake vomited into my kitchen sink – little gagging noise, splash a little water into the sink while on the phone. My manager couldn’t get me off the phone quick enough. Being “sick” while in college wasn’t as easy. Those damn attendance policies. I was once enrolled in an Astronomy class and only attended 5 times – got an A though – and to be fair, the five times might be a bit of an exaggeration – though it was at 8:00 my second semester – so I’m sure it’s pretty close to true.
Now, as a mother of a preschool child and a baby – my sick days are no longer my own. Two years ago, I went to school without fail – even when I had strep throat. Of course I didn’t know I had strep throat, I just figured it was a really bad chest cold that moved up. But I’ve learned that sick days when you have kids who are not in school themselves are really no fun. Now, I do take days off to do stuff with my kids – no problem there – but that’s a family thing – not an Amy thing – and not the same thing at all. Besides, there is little I could think of worse – than actually being sick and having to stay at home with everyone. My husband – would begin coming up with strange El Salvadoreno reasons as to why I’m sick – “oh you have air in your back. You have air in your stomach, you need to cover up so you don’t get air inside you.” And would slather green Chinese medicine (which actually does work) or vapor rub all over my person – touching my nose which is really not a good thing. And then, after having treated me for my illness, he would leave Isaiah and Elijah with me and go outside to do yard work. Woo Hoo hold me back. So really, it’s just better to go into work.
I write this because I think by talking to Ashlee on the phone about Grayson’s ick I’ve caught it – and I’m not staying home. I’m going to try to infect as many of the kids at school as humanly possible – some of them need to feel crappy – besides, I sure don’t want to pass it to Isaiah (no one likes a tummy ick with the runs in a baby – no no no – although the thought of Jose having to deal with said tummy ick does make the devil in my mind smile with malicious glee) – or Elijah.
So anyway, it’s off to work I go – heigh ho heigh ho --
