Childrearing Ironies, Part 2

Children sick with your garden-variety cold/flu that involves fever, copious amounts of snot and likely middle-of-the-night coughing are too sick to go to school and/or preschool, but not sick enough for prescription medicine and so must stay home and fork up any preconceived notions you had of getting something done this day (or possibly for the entire week);

YET, once given Children's Tylenol/Advil, THEY ARE COMPLETELY FINE and able to tear all over the house they're not allowed to leave, request endless videos, refuse naps, and Harold-the-Purple-Crayon all over their pretty bed in which you are forcing them to try to nap for Their Own Good. The sympathy and his poow widdew sad face only last until the medicine takes effect, I'm telling you.

(NOW for crying out loud GO TAKE A NAP, Mama needs one, don't you? You kept us both up coughing half the night, so why are YOU so perky? Go, go get better or something; don't you know I had a LUNCH tomorrow? And stop sneezing on your brother -- the last thing I need is you both at home. Stop. Throwing. Playdoh. *sigh* Okay, we can watch the Thomas video one more time, but then that's seriously IT, I mean it.)