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| Mary and Martha |
16 October 1998
Dear Martha,
Your letter pulled me from a pit of despair. If ever there were awards for "Surviving a Plethora of Childhood Illnesses", I would be inducted into the Hall of Frantic Mother Fame.
The triplets have developed a chain of cursed plagues: Influenza, chicken pox (vaccine, right?), strep throat, ear infections, and worms (really?). Each had one different sickness at a time. Clarisse had chicken pox, while the boys had ear infections. Then the train kept rolling through the house.
Is this God's thunderbolt of retribution for swearing during Mass?Loudly swearing at Clarisse-the-She-Devil? I mean, she fully deserved it. No one, cute or not, should crawl under the pews singing a beer commercial.
As you know, my house was never a museum, but now a City Inspector could cover the house with "Condemned" yellow tape. One time, someone taped a "Quarantine" notice on my door. It was misspelled. Probably it was that bitchy blonde next door who has no children. I have lit many candles at church, praying for her fertility.
Must go. Alex-the-Spontaneous is vomiting on the cat. Christopher-the-Wild is smearing vomit on the bathroom mirror. Thank you, Lord, that it is not diarrhea. So far, so good.
I do not know what is next on the roster, but I suspect diarrhea will finally land on and all over our house. Or maybe I will be vomiting on the carpet. Could be both.
Your sister,
Mary-the-Desperate
P.S. Help me, dear Lord, please oh please. Help me.
I followed a blog written by a mother with a 4 yr. old preschooler, and then triplets. I think of her now and then, since her blog is inactive. In fact, when I see a mom with twins along with a few other young siblings, I pray for her and them. Date above is random. Names come from another blog I have now inactive "Chronicles of Samuel".
This post has been unearthed from six years ago. Completely rewrote it. Still kept the triplets and swearing during mass thing. And, of course, vomiting. One has to insert vomiting whenever possible.
Oh, and this post went up accidently a few days before for May 27. My bad. Hadn't quite finished it.
I suspect many, many (most?) mothers would ruefully empathise with Mary the Desperate.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes.
DeleteMethinks Elephant's Child says a truth. As the one who was rescued by a job, I could leave the house. Although I knew it was bad a home at times, I don't think I regretted ENOUGH leaving her to handle the fall out. OUCH!
ReplyDeleteIt was the era.
DeleteI once babysat a professor's 3 children. Pre-vaccine days. They had chicken pox, and when that moved on, they got mumps. After that, one decided she/he had to schedule better.
PS: You might like THIS POST from another blogger on a similar topic
ReplyDeleteIt is an excellent site. Thanks for recommending it.
DeleteSusan:
ReplyDeleteI have little point of reference, as I'm an only child (and was a handful enough for my mom when I was growing up), but having known families with several children, I can say this is pretty much spot on.
I can only imagine what Mom has to endure with that many in her charge.
The word "sainthood" comes to mind.
Yes, sainthood is under a mom's resume.
DeleteNever a dull moment with kids....
ReplyDeleteNever ever. Rosana Danna SNL once said: If it isn't one thing, then it's another thing. So it is with kids.
DeleteI'm so glad I never had kids.
ReplyDeleteI hope your siblings (if there are) have some nephews/nieces about. Observing someone else's children is kinda relaxing.
DeleteIt's so much easier to deal with the messes and the whiny dispositions than the WORRY that something might be seriously wrong.
ReplyDeleteJust get it over with.
DeleteI'm SO glad I don't have kids! But, I've had a sick cat at times, if that counts.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I don't think it does.
DeleteSounds to me like that poor mum needed a few hours away from the house and kids. It's hard when they're all sick at once. I remember when my oldest came home from school with a terrible headache and by the time she got to the house the chicken pox spots had broken out, she shared this with her sister first, then with her brother who had mumps at the same time. He was so miserable. The baby lived through it all without catching a thing.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a burning hell! I hope you got/escaped!
DeleteI had one kid and that was bad enough. The germ factory (school) seems to be a breeding ground for all kinds of plagues and all the kids bring it home.
ReplyDeleteOh, those germ factories. The mow down everyone.
DeleteAll in a day's work.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Took it all in stride.
DeleteMama said there'd be days like this. There'd be days like this. Mama said. Mama said. "Mama Said", The Shirelles
ReplyDeleteLoved the Shirelles. Loved that time period of girl groups!
DeleteGreat song.
Loved this, Susan! On the one hand I had such sympathy for the mother, and on the other I was laughing at the humor. It brought back memories of a difficult six month period for my mother when I was nine turning ten. There were five of us from infant to me, and we had every one of the illnesses this mother was dealing with, including worms! (I've lived in horror of worms ever since!) Plus three of my siblings had scarlet fever. I don't know how my mother survived. At least there were no triplets! Mothers are the most amazing people on the face of the Earth. Have a good one!
ReplyDeleteYour poor mom! Scarlet fever!
DeleteYes, worms. Many moms take that challenge full on and leave us all with good memories.
this is fun to read dear Susan !
ReplyDeletestill reading about so much illness at a time made me dizzy lol
I'd like to say the childhood illnesses part was fiction, but it seemed that my own darlings were passing something to another, that they seemed to cross.
DeleteTime passes when you're innocent and of that age but it doesn't last forever.
ReplyDeleteGood or bad, we all grow up, became parents or not. But those years of running rampant with youth were quite a run.
DeleteAh, parenting...
ReplyDeleteOnly the brave, only the strong...
DeleteSickness runs around like a train in a house full of kids. Or dominoes. One gets it and it's not soon until the next one falls. Thankfully parents get it last...usually. :)
ReplyDeleteHopefully, maybe.
Delete