Being up all hours of the night is not my favorite part of being a parent. But there is a bright side: delirious kids.

Now I know I am biased, but I think my kids are some of the most naturally funny people around. So when they are sick or extra tired and our paths cross in the wee hours of the night, they never cease to make me laugh!

All week our youngest, Masen, has been battling what I have diagnosed as a double ear infection. His Dr. Mom had decided he should wait it out to make sure he couldn’t kick the infections on his own. In my defense, his fever had been spotty and so was his pain.

The first night of symptoms, I woke up to hear lots of running noises upstairs. Literally, it sounded like somebody was running laps at 1 a.m.! Matt went to check it out but found all four kids in their beds. Weird! But when he went to cover up Masen, he found the source of the noise. Matt noticed that Masen’s sheets needed to be changed, and when he went into the boys’ closet to get new bedding he stepped into a puddle. Of something. Oh great. Poor Matt.

From what we can put together, a poor, delirious Masen felt that an emergency was about to (and had probably started to) happen and was trying to make his way to the upstairs bathroom. He opened the first door he found, took care of business and tucked himself back into bed. Hence the wet bedding and closet puddle.

When Matt woke him up to change the sheets he asked Masen what happened and the only answer he got was giggles from a deliriously feverish fellow. How could you not laugh at that?!

Fast-forward to last night.

I knew before bed that Masen’s infections had escalated and that he would be destined for the care of a real professional this morning. So I doped the little guy up, tucked him in tight and told him all would be better. Just a few hours later he emerged with a very fun fever of 103 and the shakes. I kicked Matt out of bed (which is our routine when littles are sick) and tucked Masen in beside me so I could keep a better eye on the nausea he was complaining of.

About an hour later he woke me up. I thought it was game time (you know, puke), so I flipped the lights, grabbed the bucket and rushed to his side of the bed. Poor guy was still trembling from his high fever but he seemed awake and was giving me these wild and crazy eyes. He was almost laughing telling me how he hurt and his legs were running in place or dancing or something. I was half out of it as well, so I ran and got Matt to see if he could help.

As we walked back up to the door way we realized the problem. It was a bathroom problem. And apparently the legs (in Masen’s mind) were already “walking” to a “restroom” and we emerged just in time to see a 2-minute long (no lie) arch shoot up and over my last-born’s head, making an audible puddle in the bedding — my bedding.

I immediately doubled over with laughter. Matt, not so much. (It was his side of the bed.)

The moral of this story is simple. Everything’s better if you just laugh. Even if your bed is wet.

Categories: Life on the farm

Ginia

My name is Ginia Oehlschlager and I'm a small-town gal from Missouri. Join me as I document my crazy life on the farm with my husband and four kids. I'm always looking for frugal, simple ways to live the life God set before me. Where faith, family and fun come together on the farm.