HFMD

My dear little one's down with HFMD. This is the first time she's ill.. and it's a rather huge battle. I am really thankful that she's still drinking milk and taking some solids (though lesser than before) and she's surprisingly drinking more H2O these few days. She'd only experienced fever on the very first day, now she's on the road to recovery.

She's been having difficulty sleeping and nursing though. We got to spoon feed her cos she feels pain from the mouth sores. She cries on and off throughout the night... poor thing. Well, I am still grateful that's she taking everything pretty well and she isn't too difficult to take care of.

This first experience of accompanying her through an illness has taught me many precious lessons as a parent. I am so thankful that I read the book "Sacred Parenting" by Gary Thomas. One of its chapter impacted me tremendously because the chapter talks about "pain". As parents, we cannot shelter our children from pain in their lives. We must face pain in their lives with courage and trust that they will just learn to be strong with God's help.

As I watch Candra battle HFMD for the first time, I am constantly reminded to be strong and steady as a mother. I have come to realise that all of us are vulnerable. Candra's life is vulnerable too but God is in complete control. As a parent, many things are completely beyond our control and if we do not know how to turn to God for strength and hope, we will easily become stressed and anxious.

There are lots more to come in the journey of parenthood and I am only at the start of it. I guess God uses parenting to teach us more about humility, faith and reliance on Him in the midst of the uncertainties of life. In the past, I would only have to face uncertainties in my own life, now I have to face those in Candra's life as well.

All in all, I am so grateful for knowing God and enjoying His help in my life. He is in control, always.