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The Invisible Switch: Parenting, Working, and Somehow Staying Afloat
Our amazing strength to continue when we have nothing left.
I’m writing this at 3:17 AM.
My son’s fever rose to 107 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s scary stuff. The cool washcloth I’ve been replacing on his forehead every half hour is now drying on the bathroom counter. After a hospital visit and some meds, he’s finally sleeping, though we’re still instinctively listening for that troubled breathing that kept us perched on the edge of his bed for the last four hours.
In about five hours, I’ll be leading a team meeting. Somehow, I’ll be coherent, making decisions that affect our quarterly deliverables. Somehow, I’ll find a way to be present, engaged, and valuable to my colleagues. We’ll see how that goes.
How do we do this? I honestly don’t know. It’s this strange parental superpower, an invisible switch we flip when necessary.
Let me paint you the current scene in our home.
One son is running a stubborn fever that’s kept us up for two nights; has something called “Hand, Foot, and Mouth”. He’s also nursing a mild concussion from a playground incident at school earlier this week. My other boy is hobbling around with a…
