Great for kid, not so great for Mom

Do you ever have those moments when you discover that those things you thought were so great as a kid were really a pain for your parents? Snuggling in their bed for a special night’s sleep, playing horsey with your dad, watching a Scooby-Doo marathon with mom, going to Chuckie Cheese. While you thought everyone was enjoying it, your parents were actually plotting when they could escape for a strong drink.

I had a big reminder of this over the holidays. My son was sick for ten days in a row over the Christmas break. Ten long, moan-filled, mom-get-me-a-cold-water-get-me-a-pillow-get-me-a-cracker-take-my-temperature-hold-my-hand-be-at-my-beck-and-call-hey-I-like-being-waited-on days.

When the intestinal disaster began, I remembered how much I loved being able to ring a bell for my mom when I was sick as a child. I couldn’t find a nice little silver bell like my mom used to give me, but I did find a small blue cowbell we had from some sporting event. So I gave it to my son and lovingly told him to just ring it if he needed me.

What.a.nightmare. The bell rang (or should I say clanged?) at all hours for various life-and-death needs, such as “where is the remote?” “the dog is chewing on something” “my blanket is crooked” and my favorite, “ummmm….I forgot.” That’s a great one to get at 3 a.m.

Now that my son is better, the bell seems to be missing. I think it’s in the same place that the Ninja Turtle sword with sound effects, the firetruck with real alarm and the stuffed dog that barks “Jingle Bells” went many years ago.

Laura Johnson is a single mom and freelance communicator who lives in East Dallas with her 11-year-old son.