Why does taking care of a kid with a cold sap your energy so thoroughly? When I told Max that he might be too tired to go to Storybook and he agreed, I knew he was legitimately sick. Of course, the steady rivulet of snot and the coughing also gave it away. He was up since quarter to 6 this morning (as well as my poor wife who gets the early shift with the lad). My friend Roy let me in on the secret that kids sleep less when they’re sick, and it’s both reassuring and disheartening to see him proven right again and again.
Meeting Max’s needs today was actually a little easier than normal, with the cold subduing his natural rambunctiousness, but I still feel like Samson after a buzzcut. This is not to imply that I normally have epic strength or the ability to smite an army with the jawbone of an ass. I occasionally have the mouth of a jackass, but that’s not the same thing.
The other thing I have to keep in mind is that my immune system is a fan of bandwagon hopping, so my fatigue is probably my own cold rolling in quietly. Hopefully, the spicy sate beef soup from Ben Thanh will give me the vigor to return to robust health tomorrow.
Chris Loblaw, Author 