I am very happy to report that Ryan is doing MUCH better regarding his ear infection and ruptured eardrum. After taking two doses of the stronger antibiotic, I had my happy, carefree, Ryan back. He is still having a little trouble hearing, but the doctor assured me that will subside as the infection dwindles away.
I had a bit of a dilemma this week. On Sunday night, the mother of a little boy who has been in music class with us, and also is in the same class at Ryan’s school, called and said her son specifically requested that Ryan come to his birthday party this coming Sunday. I know Ryan and this little boy play a lot together at school, and he is a very nice little friend for Ryan.
Of course I wanted Ryan to go, but I also started wondering what if he got sick again- right as he is recovering from his double ear infections? Obviously the more kids your child is around, the greater the chance of him catching something-again. His immune system isn’t fully recovered from all these illnesses either. On the other hand, I don’t want to be that mom either. The mom who won’t let her child go anywhere, or be around other kids, for fear he will get sick. I purposely didn’t call the mom back right away, because I just didn’t know what to do.
Fortunately the answer became clear today, as I saw how well Ryan was doing. He hasn’t complained about his ears hurting since Monday, and his ear stopped draining on Tuesday. When I asked Ryan if he wanted to go this little boy’s party, his face just lit up and he said, “Yea Mom- I really like (little boy).” So that was that. I called the mom this afternoon and explained why I hadn’t called her back right away, and accepted the invitation.
I thought this mothering stuff would get easier as the boys got older. How do you know you are doing the right thing? I realized today that I can’t keep Ryan (or Cole) in a bubble, because there will always be something. I want my kids to grow up with friends, and having fun- not worrying if they are going to come down with something or get sick. I can’t expect my children to have that attitude if I don’t have it myself. If Ryan still wasn’t feeling better, of course I would have declined the party invitation. But for now, we are both excited he is feeling so much better, and gets to go to his friend’s party.