Hey Dad,

Well, it happened. I knew it would, but still I'm still taken by surprise when our first throw up of the season occurs. It's kind of like the first pitch of the baseball season, the first kickoff of football season, or the first blasted deer of buck season.

I have to admit I had a little trouble identifying the familiar sound of a child upchucking. My first thought was, "Oh, no!" My wife didn't move, and I quickly remembered it's not her job. She takes care of schooling, finances, cooking, cleaning, and shopping; I take care of body fluids.

As quickly as I could muster, I ran into the dark hallway and met the perpetrator heading for the bathroom. It was Maggie (3), who is not as experienced or as "accurate" as her older brothers and sister. This would not be pretty … and it wasn't. Her arms were wet with … you know. Her bed was soaked, and she left little landmines for me to find with my bare feet all over the floor of her room and along the path to the bathroom.

The worst part was the smell. We had eaten breadsticks for a Sunday evening snack/dinner and the smell of garlic butter permeated everything. All that said, it was terrible. She threw up at least eight times during the night. I made a little bed for her on the bathroom floor, and I slept next to her so she wouldn't be alone.

The next morning she woke up as perky as ever, and I was doomed to roam the earth as the living dead. She didn't thank me for cleaning up her mess, didn't appreciate the lack of sleep I got on her account, or the sacrifice I made to make sure she wasn't left alone. Nothing—nada.

But you know what? That's okay. That's what we dads do. We sacrifice, go without, and get thrown up on to boot. It's our job—so bring it on.

So Dad, consider this the first pitch of the throw up season. There will be plenty of action in the coming flu months, so get warmed up and PLAY BALL!

You 'da Dad,

© 2007 Todd Wilson. Used by permission.

[10/05/07]

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