Every once in a blue moon a rare phenomenon occurs: pigs fly. And after these pigs are airborne, and a well-known hot place suddenly experiences chilly weather, another, more frightening experience occurs. Mommy falls ill.
As a child of a single parent, Mommy sick days are accompanied with rounds of “Oh no’s” and other questions regarding meals and lack of fun things to do. When I was a much younger prodigy, I quickly learned that belly-aching was not to be tolerated on any accounts, especially when Mommy falls ill. As a youngin, meals while Mommy was ill consisted of cereal, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (still a favorite of this prodigy), and macaroni & cheese that was cooked under the supervision of the invalid. However, as a young prodigy, my viewpoint was extremely limited. I knew what it meant to be sick (like when sickness would visit this prodigy on days when a spelling test was scheduled at school), and I especially didn’t like it when Mommy was sick because she looked very un-Mommy and took on an appearance similar to The Blob from the old Steve McQueen movie.
The years have passed all too quickly and this prodigy ages quite nicely. Now I am a fully-functioning young adult quite capable of cooking meals and paying bills. And yet, when Mommy falls ill, for a moment, I regress to a younger version of myself, and my first thoughts consist of “Oh no” followed by questions regarding meals and fun things to do…for about a nano-second. Then the years of Kid-Able training kick in. Instead of cereal and macaroni and cheese, all the Life skills my Mommy has taught me over the years engage. I instantly go about doing the necessary laundry, dishes, and am more than capable of creating healthy (check that: REALLY HEALTHY) meals that are good for sick Mommy, such as homemade chicken noodle soup, which is super easy right from the pantry because we always have frozen, clearly-marked vegetables, and a pantry so highly organized that it puts the grocery store to shame!!!
All the KidAble principles that were such a huge part of my Life growing up aren’t just tested when Mommy is ill, but they’re applied! And goshdarnit, Mommy was right all these years…I am really capable! The mind reels at the thought!!!
Because I innately know what to do and how to function because of all the super-fun and super-simple Life skills I was taught as a part of my KidAble upbringing, the household doesn’t fall apart because Mommy is ill. (She even uses KidAble passwords so I can easily take care of writing the blog while she’s sick!) And I know enough to make sure that she knows I will let you know that I know that I am the sunshine in the lemon storm of sickness this time. So, as My Mommy would say,
Thanks for reading. Hope this brought you a smile and, as always,
Prodigy (not Vicki this time!)
A Kidable Life 