The Flu and the Gift of Daughters

I have the flu. Bad. It has been an interesting day. I've spent most of it in bed shrivering with fever and offering up body aches for a special intention. I'm not telling you this to seek sympathy, but to share something that has been on my mind today.

My girlfriends who have adult children often tell me how much they appreciate their daughters. They love their sons, but there is something about daughters. They are the ones who keep the family connections and who look after their parents in a special way.

For example, when a friend had to have emergency back surgery, her daughter dropped everthing, flew up from New Orleans, and spent several weeks nursing her mother back to health. Her son, just an hour's drive away sent a get well card.

I often laugh at such stories but today I found myself seeing the truth in them. Teen Daughter One is also down with the flu and so Teen Daughter Two stepped up to the plate and ran the household today.

She checked on me often, bringing medication, water, food, and good cheer. She did the laundry, fed the littles, tidied the house. And she nursed me as only a mother could. I guess there is a reason one of her nicknames is The Little Mother. Though she is getting too grownup for that name.

The boys on the other hand have not seemed to notice that I am under the weather. If I shared all of their exploits of the day, this post would go on far too long to keep your attention. So, I will just share one little incident from this morning.

I pulled up a big comfy chair in front of the TV. I put in a Teaching Company DVD thinking that it would distract me from my illness and maybe learn something at the same time. (Oh how wrong was I.) Well, Buster came flying around the corner and tripped over me and the chair. He exclaimed, "Ow, that hurt!" and ran off. I'm sure that what he meant to say was, "Oh, dear Mother, I am so sorry to cause you distress by falling over you. What can I do to ease your suffering." But then, one cannot be expected to think clearly after tripping over the body of one's half-dead mother.

I love my boys in a special way, but on days like today I sure do appreciate the gift of daughters.