Cold Season

I've never been a particularly germ-phobic mom. It seemed to me that immune systems are like muscles and they need the occasional workout to remember how to function properly. I didn't wash my kids' clothes in Dreft when they were babies. If they had sensitive skin, I figured I'd find out pretty quickly and THEN I could go spend $15 a bottle on detergent. My son Liam has eaten garden snails, an entire tube of children's toothpaste (Poison Control says the kids variety isn't toxic even in large doses), and kitty litter (which is also non-toxic, but can clump in the throat when ingested in large quantities -- yuck!). All three of my kids have consumed more than their fair share of dirt and bugs, and overall, they've been pretty healthy.  

Usually, it's our au pairs and international guests that come down with the colds. We've hosted six in the past five years. Almost without fail, between three and four weeks after their arrival, they catch their first American cold. Nothing miserable enough to stay in bed for a week, but a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. So in addition to American culture, we also introduce them to American bugs... and cold medicine.

In the welcome basket I put together, I now include cough drops, tylenol, motrin, and sudafed. I also ask, in advance, if there is anything they are allergic to and suggest they bring some of the own over-the-counter remedies that they are comfortable taking. When you're sick, it's nice to take something familiar. No one has ever had any trouble getting medicine through customs, but I do mention that it's a good idea to check and make sure that what you want to bring is allowed in the country.  

Fortunately, everyone has recovered rather quickly and we can get on with introducing each other to different elements of our culture... like election campaigns and American Idol ... hmm... I think I'm starting to get a headache.