Feeling like a dad

There are those extra “parental moments” that remind us that we’re parents. They might be something as simple as reading stories at bedtime, helping get dressed, changing diapers, or someday helping with the homework. But, perhaps nothing provides more of the “parenting rush” and test of our instincts than caring for a sick kid.

For the last few days, K-Man has been battling the stomach flu. It’s been a particularly violent combination of congestion, high fever, large amounts of puke, ungodly diarrhea and countless sheet and pajama changes. I haven’t done this much laundry since…. Let’s just say I haven’t ever done this much laundry. (College. Since college.)

This illness has even included a trip to the after-hours clinic (at the direction of the advice nurse at his doctor’s office). I’m not the overreactive guy. I’m not the guy that rushes to the doctor’s office at the first sign of a cold. So, for me to even consider asking G if she thought we should call the doctor…well, K-Man would have to be pretty sick. The 103-degree fever was all we could stand.

Every “dad” thought in my body and brain is on high alert, as his every cry (and whim) is rewarded with instant action. Need more water? Want milk? No more “Cars"? You’d rather watch “Madagascar"? You want to wear your OTHER firefighter pajamas? You got it, little man. I realize I’m probably training him to be the kind of patient I am (which isn’t a good thing), but he’s only two-and-a-half and that requires my biggest instinct of all: Do anything to keep K-Man from suffering at all.

This includes making him completely comfortable. After he threw up on the bed, I made him a cozy “campground” on the floor in front of the TV. (Before anybody starts railing at me for having him watch TV, the kid could barely move.) He had a beat up old comforter (puke safe, puke worthy and potentially even puke proven), lots of old pillows, water, milk and his trusted blanket (washed four times in the last day and counting).

Most importantly, he had Pixar.

How the hell did my parents survive when I was sick? No TiVo. No DVD players. No Pixar. Sure, I kind of liked being sick in high school and watching, “Love, American Style,” “Get Smart” and repeats of “Love Boat” all day long. But, that’s when I could fend for myself. Without “Cars,” “Nemo,” “Madagascar,” and “Ratatouille,” I would never have made it through yesterday (or so far today). (By the way, I’m fully aware that all of those movies aren’t from Pixar. But, without Pixar – all of those movies don’t get made.)

K-Man’s normal routine usually includes a bit of TV in the morning right after he wakes up, but that’s it for the day. He rarely watches at night (except for the occasional sports game, but those occasions are far and few between). The fact is, though, that it’s easy to keep a toddler occupied and interested in things for a full day. You run around, you sing, you dance, you play, you…whatever. When that kid is sick and lethargic, all of those activities are off the table. There’s not much to do. Survival mode kicks in. In those instances, the TV works.

And, in those instances…thank (insert your favorite deity here) for Pixar.

K-Man has pretty much created his own movie from all of these DVDs he’s been watching. It’s called “Camadratmo,” because he doesn’t actually watch any of the movies start to finish; he just watches bits and pieces of each. Morphed together – “CaMadRatMo.” It’s a classic in the making, for sure.

Who am I to argue? After all, his fever has broken and he seems to be well on his way to recovery. The sheets, blankets and pajamas will be thrilled. More, importantly, I’m thrilled. Nothing makes me feel more like a dad than popping a Pixar movie into the DVD player. But, I’ll be much happier tomorrow when I probably won’t have to.

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