If you know this cute boy at all, you know that for a good portion of the time, he has a hideous sounding cough. If you don't know him then you must know that when I say hideous, I mean really really hideous.
- Like, so hideous that when we are in public and he coughs, parents grab their children and quickly scatter away.
- Like, so hideous, that one mother at the aquarium today asked him to move away from her and her children.
- Like, so hideous, that people try to kill me with their looks of disgust.
- Like, so hideous that people have literally left church because of us.
So, why do I take him out in public when he has this cough? Let me explain. This cough is with Sam more than half of the year. He might have a very minor cold that doesn't slow him down a bit. He might have had a cold three weeks ago and the cough still lingers. He might be getting a cold in a few weeks and the cough is the pre-cursor. If I kept him home every time he had this cough, he would miss out on a lot of his life. He is rarely contagious and if he is, it is with a minor cold that wouldn't slow your kid down a bit. Except the one time, when he was three years old and he did have pertussis (whooping cough). It took me several weeks to actually take him in for that because the hideous cough was completely normal for him. We have ran asthma tests and been tested for tuberculosis. All clear. Dave has diagnosed him with Reactive Airway Disease, which fits. Should I make a t-shirt that says, "I have Reactive Airway Disease. I'm not contagious!"
Anway, I just had to get it out there. There is nothing more embarrassing to me in the ENTIRE world than the looks I get when we are out in public and he coughs. NOTHING. I literally want to dig myself a hole to crawl into.
Sympathy, please....
12 comments:
Oh I have sympathy for you... When my daughter gets a cough she gets this lingering itch in the back of her throat & she clears her throat what seems like 20 times in an hour!! talk about finger nails down a chalk board!
I'm so sorry.. if I lived closer we would come & play. We would have one child cough his lungs out & the other have an itchy throat & clear it all day!! I think it sounds WAY fun!!! :)
K that would be so frusterating! I am annoyed with how people react to it. I've always been under the impression that coughs aren't usually that contagious. I mean if he were really that sick do you really think he'd be out and about running around? Probably not. Which would then lead me to assume that it is just a lingering cough and most likely not contagious. Ya know? I am sorry that it is so embarrassing to you but I can understand why! From now on just start telling everyone to bite ya.
I am totally sending you sympathy. I've been dealing with just one month of Austin having a lingering hacking cough (even though he isn't "sick" anymore) and I'm at a loss of what to do. All I can do it remind him to shove his face into his elbow ALL THE WAY when he coughs so the mothers you referred to don't completely freak out. I'm so sorry! I hope he grows out of it!
i'm sure a lot of those "lookers" take their kids out when they have coughs too!!! it's totally annoying!!!! my kids both have asthma have have coughed most of their lives so i'm with ya!!!
I feel bad for both of you. I had bronchitis probably five or six years ago and ever since then - anytime I have a minor cold or even a sinus infection - my hacking cough is absolutely outrageous and it sticks around for weeks.
So, if I ever get to see you guys and Sam is coughing - he can cough all he wants.
I am so sorry Jo! I understand completely. I just can't keep my kids home with every little sniffle or cough - it's just ridiculous. i don't blame you at all! I know parents are worried about spreading stuff - but come on! BTW, sorry that that lady was rude at the aquarium - that is frustrating. And lol about really having pertussis, (not that he had it, but I thought it was super funny how you just non-chalantly threw that in!) Sorry. So excited to see you soon though!
I totally understand! Miles is the exact same way-the t shirt idea is great! I might have to try that.
Oh my gosh - I miss that kid so bad I'm gonna cry!!!! What a cute picture. Just strap his inhaler on him wherever you go. ;)
Clara gets the green boogs when allergy season comes around. So.. she is not contagious but man oh man... I know that people are talking behind our backs saying "I can't believe the Hall's bring her when she is that sick". Oh well, let them think that as long as you know your little guy is ok! No asthma huh? Josh and Ethan are both sufferers (mildly) so we have to do the nebulizer/inhalers. Good luck.
if we all could just live and let live . . . i am giving you sympathy vibes . . . can you feel them or do I need to bring them over? Probably bring them over!
Joanna, I am so sorry. I think I might be the mom who sends dirty looks at sick kids-- less with a cough, more when they have snot running down their face and their mom won't wipe it. I don't get that. I think I might have a snot-phobia.
Jo, you are freaking hilarious. I love reading your entries. I think I would probably be one of those mothers that stares ya down. Emmi has been sick with various colds all dang winter. So, I always stay clear of the hacking kids....like yours!!!! I'm teasing. Good to hear from you.
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