Daniel was supposed to start soccer last week, but he has been sick – which makes it 2 weeks he’s missed so far out of a 6 week session. I’m wondering if we should just skip this round and go on to the next ‘season’. We’ll see.

Anyway…I had thought that being tired, feverish, sick, and whiny would mean we would have a ‘funny’ break, but not so. At least not from my perspective! We have had to alternate between Motrin and Tylenol to keep his fever under control and he has been extremely resistant to taking his meds.
I’ve read several parenting books over the last several years and one of the things we try to use, and typically works, is to give him two choices. For instance, ‘Do you want a banana or an apple?’ Instead of ‘What do you want?’ And giving him the opportunity to answer ‘jelly beans!’ Don’t you wish you hadn’t set yourself up for that one?

So, in the fashion of offering choices, I ask him, ‘Do you want to give yourself the medicine or do you want mommy to do it?’ And his response is ‘you take it!’ Okay, I see how it could have been perceived that way.
I try again. ‘Daniel, do you want to give yourself the medicine, or do you want mommy to give you the medicine?’ And he chooses to take the syringe and do it himself. Great! Not the end of story. Next he says ‘I’m going to hold it while I sleep’. And he rolls over and closes his eyes, holding it like he might Fenrus(his favorite stuffed buddy). I decide the syringe route is NOT going to work without holding him down and forcing it down his throat, which I would really like to avoid.
My next plan is to put the Tylenol into his beverage of choice for this week of being sick – blue Gatorade. I gave the kids a choice of what Gatorade flavor they wanted and Emily chose purple and Daniel chose blue. It has nothing to do with the flavor and everything to do with what they think are boy colors and girl colors! The Gatorade has worked wonderfully so far in keeping them hydrated because I can cut it with water and they think it is a wonderful treat – and are indeed staying hydrated. Yea – I reached one goal!

However, when red Tylenol is mixed with blue Gatorade it turns – you guessed it – PURPLE. Then, as mother – and deliverer – of said concoction, I am immediately accused of trying to give him Emily’s Gatorade and he wants HIS blue Gatorade! (Tears, fits, you get the idea) So it is off to the pharmacy we go for Dye-free Motrin and Tylenol. Isn’t it amazing the lengths we go to? Thank goodness for dye allergies! (I don’t really mean that – no nasty e-mails) All in all I am glad to have found some way to give him the meds he needs without putting him in a wrestling hold, nor having him traumatized for having to drink a ‘girl-colored’ Gatorade!