On October 1st, during the National Day holiday, you happened to turn one year old. Your mom had been planning since the beginning of the year to take you back to her hometown to meet your great-grandfather, grandfather, and great-aunt, and to visit your father’s hometown in Changde. Your father had not returned to Changde for many years due to studying and working away from home. This trip was an opportunity to “go home,” visit relatives, and celebrate your birthday.
During the reunion with relatives, your father felt some emotions about the experience. He plans to write a separate article to document his feelings.
On October 4th, the last day of visits, while your dad was driving and your mom was holding you in the passenger seat, she felt that you had a high fever. When he touched your back and forehead, you felt like a furnace.
Faced with this situation, they were a bit unprepared.
After eating at your maternal uncle’s house, they decided to drive back to Yueyang without waiting long.
In the car were your parents, grandparents, and grandma. Your grandfather talked about his life experiences, especially his insights on dealing with illness. Your father was used to this and just responded as needed.
Your mom didn’t say much during the drive.
Here, I want to highlight a key difference in how your mom and dad think and handle such events, which I only realized after getting married.
Your father is very rational and slightly anxious, often focusing on prevention. So, by the night of the 3rd, he noticed your blocked nose. Your mother can be rational but also emotional, sometimes difficult to understand. In this case, she acted only after your symptoms appeared, while your dad felt she hadn’t taken preventive measures during the colder days before, like not dressing you warmly.
This is one difference. Another is that your mom is often annoyed by your dad’s anxious comments.
This led to communication issues between them.
It’s hard to say who is right or wrong; it’s just a difference in thinking and habits.
Once they arrived in Yueyang, they rushed you to a local hospital for tests and bloodwork on your right middle finger. Of course, you cried a bit.
Your temperature was 38.5°C.
They prescribed “children’s ibuprofen” and another herbal cough medicine.
When they got back, they quickly gave you the medication. Thankfully, this “ibuprofen” worked wonders, lowering your fever in half an hour.
The next day, October 5th, your mom, grandpa, and grandma took a high-speed train back to Shenzhen, while your dad had to drive back.
On the evening of October 5th, your mom said you woke up every hour, repeatedly needing fever medicine.
On October 6th, your mom took you to a health clinic for another check-up, and you had more blood tests, which concluded it was a bacterial infection.
Your dad finally arrived in Shenzhen that afternoon.
This continued for about seven days—medication, fever coming and going, more medicine, and more fever.
According to common knowledge, a cold should improve in a week, but after seven days, you still weren’t better, so they went to the children’s hospital.
In the emergency room, more blood tests showed it was a viral infection. They prescribed several more medications. At this point, they were more concerned about getting you better than the side effects of the medicine.
Finally, on October 20th, the day I write this diary, you just got better.
During this time, both your parents and grandma got sick, with only grandpa showing no symptoms.
Throughout this experience, your parents were quite anxious. The differences in perception and thought processes inevitably led to arguments.
Your mom handled the medication, doctor visits, and taking your temperature at night. It was tough for her, and your dad only provided some assistance.
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