Do I LOOK Stupid???

[susiestar]

I am fed up to HERE with Jess today. This was the 3rd day she has woken me up in tears because her back hurts.

She clearly has a muscle spasm or other back problem. that is not in doubt.

I DO doubt the degree of pain today. She was "fine" when her dad left, then she came in and woke me up crying and sniffling in pain because she was in "agony". I couldn't form a coherent word, so I sjust mumbled when she said she had to lie flat and couldn't go to school.

HOWEVER - Jess refused a hot pack to help loosen up the spasm this morning. She made a comment about how she "really really WANTED to go to school because it is a 4 day weekend".

My BS-O-Meter ran into the red with that comment. I went into her room to find her after I woke myself up with cold water in my face. She was in the living room sitting up watching TV and playing on the computer!!!

It will be very hard for me to believe she is hurting after this. At least hurting so bad she needs to stay home from school. ESP when she refuses simple measures to help with the pain.

How STUPID does she think I am - she is FINE when dad leaves, then in agony as soon as he is gone?? AND getting up to watch TV and play on the computer rather than lie flat the way she tells me she has to??

AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!

 

[nvts]

My question to them is: How did I sleep through them sneaking into my room and stapling "stupid" to my forehead?

She's pushing her luck...

I'd send her to school and when the school calls saying what horrible pain she's in, tell them the car broke down, they'd better call and ambulance and you'll take a cab to the hospital to meet her.

Good luck! I'm personally dreading this 3 day weekend!

Beth

 

[susiestar]

She has already called once from the office. I didn't get to the phone on time (How DARE I use the potty!" LOL) and had to call back.

Well, lo and behold Miss Jess did NOT sign the roster to let the office know WHY she called home. IF she had they could have told me if it was about pain, picture $$ (today was picture day), or some other issue. So I didn't go chasing after her to find out what was up.

Mean ole mom DID ask the office to give her a tylenol and 15 mins to rest her back BEFORE she called home if she came in with pain.

I am SURE tonight won't be fun. husband is bowling with cowokers and Miss Jess is NOT going to go ride the rides at the county fair. She is also NOT going at all this weekend.

I think we WILL go get either pie or a funnel cake later, but nothing else. Mostly because they have LOTS of homemade pies for cheap at our fair. And because MOM wants to.

(I WILL be a good mom and pick her up at the bus stop - it is over 1/4 mile walk and she will have a HEAVY backpack.

 

[nvts]

mooooohahaha! I'd have slipped a few rocks in the backpack before she left for school....mooooohahaha!

Can you TELL I can't wait for school to start on Tuesday? twitch, twitch...


Beth

I would kill for pumpkin pie right now (could be a craving...who the heck knows...by the time it got here or I finished baking it, I wouldn't want it anyway...)

 

[KTMom91]

Hypochondria is such a debilitating illness...

One of Miss KT's tardy notes read...Please excuse Miss KT's tardiness this morning. She was suffering from a severe case of hypochondria. The teacher nearly fell apart, and Miss KT wanted to know if "that meant I had diarrhea."

 

[Marguerite]

Susie, I'm glad you sent her to school. After all, from needing to lie flat, she recovered enough to sit up and play computer games, so that was really good. If she has recovered enough to sit up and play games, then she is well enough to sit at a school desk. And she recovered that well without needing any treatment - maybe she just needed to get up and get moving bit. But if she hadn't recovered enough - use our rule. SCHOOL WORK DURING SCHOOL HOURS. What? Computer games? Nope, you do your work. In bed on your back, if you have to. Got a fever? That's nice, here's a cool cloth for your forehead and an analgesic. Keep writing.

And Susie, you said, "I am SURE tonight won't be fun. husband is bowling with cowokers and Miss Jess is NOT going to go ride the rides at the county fair. She is also NOT going at all this weekend."

Of course Jess can't go - her back sounds very delicate, she needs to stay home and look after herself, so this problem won't happen so much. Jess needs to stay quiet all weekend, maybe do some simple stretch exercises several times a day, do some light housework to see what she can handle. If all she can do is sit, ten she can have a bowl of vegetables and a peeler on her lap and peel vegetables for dinner. Or darn socks.

Rides at the county fair sounds like too risky a pastime for a girl whose back has so recently been agonisingly painful!

Natural consequences!

Marg

 

[susiestar]

Oh, we TOTALLY believe in natural consequences!!! We also insist, and have insisted on schoolwork during the day, though we stretch it "until Dad gets home from work" which is a couple of hours later. This was teh rule while homeschooling and is STILL the rule.

Ms. Jess is NOT even WALKING around the fair - all those power cables for the rides, you know. She has been working on catching up and extra assignments from mom - including the essay, "Why it is NEVER a good idea to try to put one over on Mom and Dad" and the essay, "Why it is a bad bad BAD idea to try to pit Mom and Dad against each other". The latter essay is the consequence of telling Mom that you don't know why Dad did X, when in fact YOU did X.

She was very subdued this evening. She will continue her medications as teh doctor recommended - as I said, she truly does have a back spasm. BUT she is also getting a chore list done.
It is funny, around here teh idea that your kid would have to do school work when home sick is a rare one. That your child has chores to do during the school year is even rarer. This is NOT according to my kids friends - it is according to the other PARENTS!! "Johnny Sue couldn't POSSIBLY wash the dishes or mow the yard - grades are just TOO important to US." (If I had a dime for every time I heard another parent say this I could fly us ALL first class to stay at a fancy resort!!)

I am glad that here I have friends with similar values!!!

 

[trinityroyal]

"Johnny Sue couldn't POSSIBLY wash the dishes or mow the yard - grades are just TOO important to US."

And when Johnny Sue gets to college, he (she? they?) won't have a CLUE how to darn socks, or do laundry, or cook, or any of those other life skills you're supposed to learn at home.

Good on you Susie, for letting Jess reap the reward of natural consequences.

 

[Star*]

with eyebrow raised.......ewwwwwwwwwwwwww

Evil pregnant girl has MAHVELOUS ideas ------- and big rocks.

 

[Hound dog]

Susie

A common and very good cure for back pain is lying on the floor. A hard floor. To sleep. No pillow either.

 

[Abbey]

Susie dear...(private chat) I haven't read the responses, but you NEVER, EVER ask if you look stupid. Someone will call you on it when you least need it.

 

[TerryJ2]

Oh, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the note and responses. (Too funny, Abbey and nvts.)
I'd recommend ice rather than heat, by the way.
Is the spasm in her lower, mid- or upper back? The backpack could be a definite factor.
When my back goes out, I either kneel at the computer or skip it altogether. What did she say when you caught her at the keyboard?

Best of luck.