Emergency!

Another day, another 5:45 a.m. wake-up call from the minions. Ugh.

It's a little extra special when the first words they speak are: "Daddy, emergency! You gotta come see what the cat did in the closet."

Now, I know my minions and what I can generally expect when they use the term "emergency."

It falls below house fire on the dire spectrum, but above cat puke on floor. It often involves a significant spill, or something cherished by Neomom being broken.

So I don't run up the stairs. I take my time, grab a towel in the kitchen and follow the minions to their bedroom. Inside the closet, somehow, the humidifier on the floor had fallen over. Relax, it was not plugged in. But water was working its way across the floor and under Sonwun's bed. A few quick wipes and the emergency was resolved.

I'm not sure how, or if, the cat was involved. But it's too early to play detective. It spilled, it's cleaned up, time to move on.

So, earache update. Got a call from the school yesterday at 2:20 . . . shortly following afternoon recess. The school secretary told me that Sonwun was in the office "in a lot of pain" and I needed to come and get him.

This is a first for me. And, of course, I imagined my poor son, crying and wailing in the school office, embarrassed in front of his friends. I imagined the look of derision I would get from the secretary for being such a horrible parent.

I grabbed the grape-flavoured ibuprofen off the counter, hoping to ease his pain as soon as humanly possible and checked to make sure I had the prescription for amoxicillin. If only I'd given it to him on Day 1, fought this thing for him instead of letting his little body build antibodies for the future. What kind of parent was I??

At the school, I steeled myself for the horrors that lay ahead. As I got out of the manly minivan in the parking lot, I stopped to listen, to see if his wailing had penetrated the brick walls. Didn't hear anything.

I quick-walk/jogged to the school and opened the outer door and . . .

"Hi Dad!" he chirped. "Let's go!"

Um . . . no tears, no whining, not so much as a pained expression - at least not on HIS face.

Now, I don't doubt there was some discomfort. He'd had medicine at 8:30 a.m. But the timing and the level of discomfort make me wonder. I don't believe for a second that he was "in a lot of pain."

Bottom line is I brought him home, gave him a little more ibuprofen and am still monitoring the situation. He got another dose last night before bed and he slept through the night until this morning's "emergency."

He didn't touch or complain about his ear until I asked if he felt like going to school this morning. Then I got a little show and some obligatory, though unconvincing, whining.

I'm going to err on the side of caution today, and keep him home for a long weekend to fully recover. I do believe it's almost done and I think I've done the right thing as far as the antibiotics go.

Time will tell.

Have a great Friday!