Flu Season

Too many germs outside, you can only look

Maybe it's better if we never go outside at all.

I mean, how careful are you during flu season? My wife have gotten into the habit of wiping anything and everything down with baby wipes, especially anything in public like shopping carts, benches, tables, chairs, etc. It's when everyone is catching the flu that you suddenly realize just how many things your baby licks. You'd think we'd be born with the instinct that sticking things in our mouths leads to germs that can make us extremely ill.

This is the first year where I'm really worried about getting sick myself. Before this year, I hadn't gotten a flu shot in probably ten years. I never really thought about it. If I got the flu, big deal, I'd be sick for a few days, and then I'd be back on my feet. But after already catching a couple of colds in the last 9 months and spreading them to my little one, I'm more worried than ever that I'll catch something serious. I start to worry so much that sometimes I panic a little. You know how you start tracing all the possibilities in your head, and you go from "maybe I'll catch a cold" to "my god, I'm going to give my kid swine flu!"

It's ridiculous. I don't like being a worrier, but I can't help it. I see every sharp corner. I see every staircase as a potential fall. I see every button or quarter or whatever that have fallen out of my pocket as potential choking hazards. Every time someone sneezes in public, I zero in on them. Every time someone coughs, I try and get out of their way as fast as possible. Every time some kid has a snotty, runny nose, I head for the hills.

This is my life now. And the grim reality of it is that it won't get better when Baby J. is older. I'll just have more worries. The worries will only get bigger and worse the older she gets. I really don't know how people do it.

D.