Keeping a Hard Ass in the Face of Illness, Or Parenting a Sicky.

Nope, this isn't a post about working out while sick, because who the heck wants to do that?! This one's about parenting a preschooler who isn't feeling well and wants to push every boundary known to man.

I'm a practiced hard ass when it comes to the little man and his whining. Counting to three, multiple time outs, I can hand it all down without a crack in my icy veneer. But what the hell do you do when your little love is sick?

Our little man was feverish and nauseated last week. The poor little monkey. I knew he was whining because he didn't feel good. I knew he was tired and didn't know what he wanted. I felt so sorry for him, and I hugged him every chance I got. But when the whining started, I was torn.

We are doing everything in our power to stay strong through the whining, so that he learns that it DOES NOT work, it DOES NOT get him what he wants, and it WILL result in a time out. But when he's sick, all I want to do it make the sadness go away and make him feel better. I want to give him fudgesicles at every meal and let him sleep in our bed every night. (Yes, he did sleep in our bed one night, after he barfed in it, but no, he did not get fudgesicles at every meal.)

Here's the problem. He is the king of "if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile." Give in once and he believes he can get whatever he wants at any time. We've basically outlawed chocolate milk in our home because we had one jug of it ONCE and he lost his mind when he couldn't have it at every meal. It took weeks before he accepted that it was well and truly gone and stopped asking for it. We can't afford to show weakness, or the whining will NEVER end!

So how do you maintain the same rules and level of consequences when they're sick? Or if you do bend the rules while they're under the weather, at what point in their recovery do you lay down the law again?

I look forward to the day when the whining and blatant disobedience stops and I just get to be mummy again. Should kick in right about the time he turns 35. I hope.