Decisions

    


      NaBloPoMo  posed the question today whether I would rather make decisions alone or try to work them out with another person.  This is an easy one for me to answer!!


    

         I admit I prefer working out important decisions with my husband.  Being a traditional girl, I fell in love, got married, and then had kids in that order.  When I said “I do” I entered into a partnership until death.  Instead of just me being affected, there are more people involved who include my husband and kids.  He is my best friend and probably knows me better than anyone on the planet, so I trust his judgment.  I like approaching problems as a team instead of blindly walking into the abyss alone trying to decide which the best possible way is.  It makes a great scapegoat because then I can say “Well, I only did what YOU said!! “  

       It is always nice to get a second opinion when making decisions because maybe someone else will present an angle you hadn’t contemplated.  I like to look at all angles and make damn sure my decision is the best I can make considering the circumstances.  The last thing I want is to make a bad decision and be forever sorry. I usually handle figuring out what bills to pay but I always talk to my husband and get his input in the process.  After all, even though the money he makes is theoretically our money, since he worked hard to earn it, I feel he deserves to know where it goes.  I would appreciate the same consideration if the roles were reversed.  When deciding what to cook for supper I ask everyone what they are hungry for and open the floor for debate.

       So in answer to the question of would I rather make decisions alone or work them out with someone else, I would have to say I value others opinions to help me make my decisions.  I may decide to absorb everyone’s views and then decide to take my own path anyway after having thought about each opinion and all the options available.  There are some things in life that come up that only you know the answers to.  Sometimes you have to resort to asking the old eight ball from childhood, and even though I tend to trust my gut, I still tend to appreciate and seek opinions from the peanut gallery for most big decisions until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.

Keep at Home or Send to School?

       If you think about it, a person makes decisions from the time you wake until you lay down to sleep at night.  Today the powers that be at NaBloPoMo are interested in any decision making I have made recently.

        Last night my daughter came home with a severe sore throat, swollen glands, and a temperature soaring to 102 degrees.  This morning when she only felt a tad better I made the executive decision to keep her home from school.  Sometimes you have to do that when you are a parent.  You have to make the decision about how sick your child is and whether they would be better served having a day home resting with medication administered every 4 hours like clockwork. 

       

    

       At the beginning of the school year the nurse at my son’s school sent home guidelines about when you should keep your child home from school.  I posted it on the refrigerator and have referred to it often since.  I wish I had this list all along because then the decision making would have been a lot easier.  I feel compelled to share this great advice here. 

         If the thermometer reads over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you must keep your kid home from school.  The schools my children attend ask that kids be fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication before returning to school.  Next if your kid has nausea or is vomiting then they should stay home.  If they are suffering from a sore throat accompanied by fever, they should also stay home.  Finally if your child has had 3 or more episodes of diarrhea in the last 24 hours, or any symptoms that would prevent them from participating in class like excessive tiredness, loss of appetite, severe headaches, body aches, earache, or sore throat you can plan on playing nurse maid at home.  If your kid had strep throat or pink eye, they have to be on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

         Thanks to this thoughtful school nurse’s guidelines, I have no problem figuring out whether my children are well enough to send to school or sick enough to stay home.  All I can hope is that the time at home helped steer my daughter towards the road to recovery and she feels better tomorrow.  I am the mommy who would have given anything to have a parenting owner's manual with each baby when they were born.  It would have made life a lot easier and calmed my worries over the years. The guidelines take the guesswork out and help me to feel even more confident in my ability to make the decision that is best until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.