The sneezing. The coughing. The moans and groans. The Man Cold has entered our home, and my husband can’t leave our bed since he is too weak and tired. He is completely down for the count.
I walk into our bedroom to check on him, and all I can see are mounds of tissues on the bed, water and Gatorade bottles on the nightstand, and Pedialyte popsicle wrappers strewn about, which, may I add, are for the children when they are sick. He turns to me to tell me for the 100th time that he is super tired and feels awful.
Hold on, let’s rewind. HE’S tired? How can he even go there? It’s laughable, really. While he is up in our room, I am still running the household, taking care of three children, one of whom is sick with a cold and ear infection, taking care of the dog, AND showing up for work on time. Not only that, but I volunteered at school today and worked on a committee for the local hospital.
Now you tell me, who should be tired?!
Did you know that WebMD has an article for the Man Cold? I am not kidding. I want to point out that a man wrote the article, and he is very defensive of why men act the way they do when they get sick.
Ladies with sons, the good news is, we can stop this Man Cold pandemic!
I have a son, and I will try my very best to stop this vicious cycle from continuing. At a young age, boys are just like girls when they’re sick. They are adorably pathetic, and they want to lie in your arms on the couch and have a good snuggle. All they want and need is their mother.
I’m not sure at what age this all changes. Maybe it never changes, and perhaps that is part of the problem. Maybe, just maybe, the next time your man has a cold, you call his mom to come over and take care of him (heck, perhaps even have her move in for the next week). With her there, giving him all the attention he is yearning for, you no longer need to baby him.
You can enjoy the peace (once you have cleaned, put the children to bed, done the laundry, made everyone’s lunches for the following day, taken care of the dog, etc.), and you can sit and watch Bravo without any negative commentary from your partner.
To all the men out there reading this, we love and appreciate you. We do, however, find humor in how you react when you’re under the weather. But hey, maybe it is as bad as you say; we may never know.
Melissa was born and raised in Fairfield County. She currently lives in Stamford with her husband and their three children. She spends most of her free time driving her children to various activities and making sure they are living the dream! She does make time for solo Starbucks and Target runs because self-care is important! You can also find her on Instagram @the_storied_mind, where she shares posts to help others and break the stigma around seeking mental health support.
