Dr. Mom

Kids are still sick, and now my throat's getting scratchy. Had to go to the store for more cold medicine Sunday night, so I went ahead and did the weekly grocery shopping I'd usually do today then, which was a nice stress-reliever on what's usually a hectic day. Personally, I don't think the cold medicine does a thing about their symptoms, but one can't discount the placebo effect. You tell a whiny, sick child, "Come take your medicine and you'll feel better," and they generally quiet down way before anything beyond grape flavoring can get into their bloodstream.

Tommy used to laugh at me when Faith was little because any time she stubbed her toe, scraped her knee, had a tummy ache, or any other complaint, I would tell her to go lie down on the couch and drink some cold water and she'd feel better. He protested that it couldn't possibly make her feel better, and I would counter that it certainly wouldn't make her feel worse. If she thought she would feel better, she generally would feel better after a while -- especially since there wasn't really anything wrong with her in the first place. It's magic!