Ickyville Strikes Again and Brings an Unwanted Guest

My daughter seems to have caught a slight cold, which wouldn’t be so bad except that she has developed a rather annoying symptom, the incessant and whiny use of the word, “mooommmmyyyy.”  Oh how my heart would warm when she’d look up at me with those doll like eyes and say, “hey Mommy,” smiling, giddy and happy.

Those days seem so far away as of late.  Now it’s clingy, constant and drawn out.  It’s not like I can ignore her completely.  One, she doesn’t give up and two, she is still my baby, even if that means I go bald by week’s end. 

I must admit I have never had this experience with my boys.  When they’re sick, they just cuddle up beside me on the couch, pout silently with a sunken glance, and pretty much veg out for a couple days.  Not so much with Madison.  On a normal day, she’s not exactly the snuggly type, very independent and opinionated, and she certainly refuses to be controlled.  Gee, I wonder where she got those traits. 

However, over the last couple of days, she has followed me around like a lost puppy, pulling at my leg, screaming “moooommmyyy, mommy, mommy, mooooommmmmyyyy, mommy,” over and over and over again.  She constantly wants to be held, but still not really snuggled.  When she’s in my lap, she’s never still.  In fact, I’m typing this one-0handed because I’m attempting to stave off her desire to help me write this column.  Thankfully there’s a backspace key.

I feel so bad when I find myself getting overly annoyed with my sick child.  Aren’t I supposed to be comforting and compassionate?  Instead I feel like screaming back, “suck it up, kid. It’s just a cold.”  Of course I can’t do that.   That would just be mean, but I can’t tell you how extremely tempting it is.

Last night, we decided we needed a date night.  By the time the babysitter got there, I was simply done.  I couldn’t think straight anymore.  Twelve hours of constant whining was just too much for me.  I was already over the edge.   Thankfully and purposefully, she was in bed by the time we got home.  I had never so much appreciated the silence.

Normally Madison wakes up around 7:30 a.m. and plays happily in her room for a few minutes before I come get her.  You know where I’m going with this, right?  There was no happy this morning, just demanding, whiny, and downright unpleasant.  For a fleeting moment, I was tempted to leave her in there until bedtime.

Am I the only mom who is so annoyed by her sick child that she’s ready to put her up for auction?  (Not that she’d bring in a high penny in this state).  Madison is always so stinking cute.  Literally, people stop me while we’re out and about to tell me how adorable she is.  Sorry friends, all I see right now is a monster trapped in my daughter’s body. 

Here’s hoping this cold goes away very fast.  I want my daughter back.  Plus, it’s extremely difficult and time consuming to type one handed.  As I working mom who spends most of her time on a computer, I need both hands and a wee bit of quiet time to think.