Ignorance ≠ Bliss

Last weekend gave me the scare of a lifetime. I purposely never owned a thermometer, because I never wanted to know my temperature or any of my children’s. Ignorant, right? Yes, I guess so. I just figured if I don’t know, then it can’t ever be bad.

Last weekend, however, my ignorance, or stupidity, was called out by my children’s pediatrician. She inquired about my son’s temperature overnight. I told her I had no idea what it was. She asked how he had felt that night, and I told her he was pretty miserable. She asked why his school sent him home, and I told her it was because his temperature was high. She asked if I had known that the night before, and I told her I didn’t, as I squirmed in my seat, unwilling to attempt to give an excuse.

As we were leaving her office, she stressed the importance of checking his temperature throughout the night, which meant that even though it was after 7 pm, I needed to get a thermometer before my husband had to leave for work in an hour.

As he prepared for work, I checked our son’s temperature, and it was almost 105^o. I stood and just looked at the thermometer, while my son stood there looking pitiful and ghostly. All I could manage was, “Babe, you’re gonna have to call in; we have to get him to the ER.”

We took his temperature two more times and it was still over 104^o. I was in shock, and every negative thought possible flooded my head. My husband didn’t realize he worsened it by stating, “We have to hurry. An adult can die from a 106^o temperature, so 105^o is no good for a child. Let’s go!”

No thermometer. No thermometer. No thermometer. That’s all that kept going through my mind. My ignorance could have cost my son his life. No thermometer. No thermometer. No thermometer. Ignorance is NOT bliss.