I’ve been out of the office for a couple days with an ailment that I’ve been susceptible to all my life – the dreaded ear infection. I came down with this particular doozie on the very same day that Victoria received a giant dumping of snow.

I’m lucky enough to have fantastic people as roommates, and they took good care of me while I was one of the most miserable people in the city. Andrew drove me to the doctor’s office (in the snow! Good thing he’s from Calgary), Sam brought me some lovely chamomile tea and Derek made me what I’m now referring to as the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had, along with that Lipton’s Chicken Noodle Soup that cures everything.

I was surprised and delighted that the guys knew exactly what I needed to make me feel better, especially since I was floating in a cloud of antibiotics and painkillers and wasn’t able to do a great job of taking care of myself. It got me thinking about getting sick as a kid, and how parents seem to just have that instinct as to what to do to make it all better.

creative commons image courtesy of Auntie K

Dad always brought me toast, Popsicles, Gatorade and that very same Lipton’s Chicken Noodle. Mom brought lots of tea, lemon and hot water, bananas, chicken and rice soup and saltines with butter. Plus as many chick flicks as she could get her hands on.

Even though the memories of being sick as a kid are inevitably sucky ones, it’s always great to be reminded of the little things that made you feel so much better.

Did your parents do anything special to help you on the road to recovery as a kid? If you’re a parent now, is there anything you do for your kids to make being sick suck a little less?