My little one has been sick. The other night, fever woke her up several times. At 3am Jonathan stumbled out of bed, grabbed a bottle of children’s Tylenol and headed down the dark hall to her room.
Two minutes later he came back, looking (and smelling) like he’d been caught in the crossfire of a cherry fight. “It was a disaster… she refused the medicine… she needs a bath…”
Today I attended a luncheon for Tylenol’s Smiling it Forward campaign. The deal is this: Find a photo of something that makes your smile. Upload it to Smiling it Forward and Tylenol donates $1 to Children’s Health Fund. CHF provides medical care to children in need by driving into their neighborhoods in these kick-ass medical clinic buses. I mean seriously, we all upload so many photos to social media anyway, why not upload ‘em and earn a few bucks for a great cause?
In addition to the deliciousness provided by Fig and Olive, we had the pleasure of having all our pediatric questions answered by Dr. Tanya R. Altmann. She’s on TV, she has a book, check her out. She offered a bunch of advice on how to keep our families healthy during cold and flu season including getting the flu vaccine and washing our hands… a lot. (No, really, a lot. And don’t touch your face either.) But the most valuable information I kinda pieced together on my own: Don’t attempt to give a 2-year-old sticky cherry medicine in the middle of the night. In her bed. In the dark.
I also learned that GRAPE is Tylenol’s most popular flavor.
I came home at the end of the day expecting a fully-recovered little girl to run into my arms. Nope. Day three of this weird fever that comes and goes. But I didn’t freak out. Before bed I whipped out a fresh new bottle of grape-flavored Tylenol. She resisted, of course. But I sat her on the counter of a well-lit bathroom, filled the syringe, told her it would taste like candy and… SHE DRANK IT! Finally, finally, she’s getting the sleep she needs. (And so will we.)
If her fever hasn’t broken tomorrow, I will call my pediatrician. And I’ll remember how lucky we are that we can afford to take our kids to the doctor for every fever or weirdness that alarms us. According to Children’s Health Fund, 18 million kids in this country are without health insurance. That’s not OK. Every kid in every neighborhood deserves a doctor.
I hope you guys will join me and upload smiles for this great cause. It’s really that easy. As soon as Vivi’s smile comes back I will upload hers. Look for it!
