Where does little guy with a cold fit into this strong and happy thing?

Poor G has a cold. The sore throat is over, but he has a cough now. And everytime he goes into a coughing fit, he starts to cry and gag. He’s miserable, not just because he’s sick, but because he’s miserable. It’s the first time where he’s been really aware that he’s sick, I think, and he’s feeling sorry for himself.

Before, he cried because he didn’t feel well. Now he’s crying because he’s sick and he doesn’t like it. There’s a difference. I suppsose it’s about cognition. It almost makes the cold worse, because he’s not just lying there feeling miserable, he’s lying there miserable, cranky and fighting it. He doesn’t have any coping strategies for dealing with it. So he coughs, chokes, and then cries, “mama, waaahhhhh…” And he won’t take the medicine, either, or anything I offer. Not even hugs.

There’s nothing I can do about it. He’s just got to learn to handle it, I suppose. I guess that will make him stronger.

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