We Live in a Dirty, Germy World...

You're probably thinking this fact has only become critical to our family because of Lil Chris' CF but I'm blogging tonight to tell you this has been drilled into our heads from birth... The pressures of having children are magnified 10 fold by the lessons of our Italian family. We have been taught that the Italian word schifosa (pronounced skivosa) can be applied to everything around us. I say that with a smile on my face because it calls to mind many moments in my life where my Mother or Grandmother either said it out loud to my sisters & I in reference to something or shook their head & gave us "The Look" which was just as good as saying the word. I also smile because I know I've said it myself many times to my friends, my husband & my children. It's become something of a joke among them now & they love to tease me about it.

The fundamental thought process is that dirt & germs are our enemies & if you haven't cleaned it yourself then it's not clean enough. Public places are made to be walked through, not touched in any way if it can be avoided, & public restrooms...well, we won't even go there. If we or our children do have to touch something in a public place then hands must be immediately washed & clothes changed the moment you enter your clean house lest you contaminate it. Yes, I say this to be funny but in truth...this is how I live. And believe me, my Mom still checks to make sure I follow through. =) "D, did the kids change their clothes when they got home from school today?" "Yes, Ma. I made them leave their clothes in the laundry room & get directly in the shower." LOL! If I had a dollar for every time we've had that conversation...

There are days when I wish I could walk through life like other people - not caring about continuing to wear my clothes from work for a while after I get home (did you know your office workstation is probably dirtier than the restroom??? ewww!) or like letting my kids play on the toys at McDonald's without having to hose them down afterwards while thinking about how sick they'll probably be in three days. (my sisters are probably cracking up right now) Or arguing with my husband about how dirty his clothes are when he comes home from work & why he should change. (We've got a kind of Lucy & Ricky thing going - it's a crack up) Being this neurotic takes a lot of work & is very stressful! But it's a requirement in this family.

So now, take that ingrained war on germs & think about it from M's perspective with a CF child. I cannot imagine the pressure she feels. I can only compare it to the pressure I know I feel & then magnify it exponentially. To always be on top of "the germ factor" lest you be caught overlooking something or the guilt we were taught to heap on ourselves when our kids get sick because it must be our fault. I admire her so much for taking all this on without batting an eye & inducting Big Chris into the craziness of the germ war. They break out their anti-bacterial bottle for anyone who comes near Lil Chris. They explain why it's important that people not come near him if they are sick. They are cautious about the places they take him so that he is not unduly exposed. And all while shouldering the pressures of our family's old obsession with germs.

Now, I am not in any way saying that other families of children with CF don't do the same things. I'm sure they do!! My purpose in tonights blog is to 1) get a laugh out of my sisters & maybe some other people who know us well & more importantly 2) to let M & Big Chris know that I admire them for for how they've adjusted & stepped up to the challenge of raising a CF child! Lil' Chris is thriving because of their excellent care & I'm proud of them for what they've acomplished! They love him more than anything & it's apparent in everything they do & every decision they make.

Thanks for listening tonight. Sorry if I got wordy & hope you had a laugh or two! =) D.