Lola’s POV: Superwomen Get Sick Too

This week I’ve been stuck at home with the inevitable: being sick. I usually don’t get sick very easily but when I do, it’s a couple of days of staying at home “chapuseando,” eating, and putting on the same pair of leggings to go to the lab to get blood-work done. And although I know that whatever I’m sick with is going to go away soon, there’s one thing that remains: it’s not throat pain or a headache, it’s “la ñoñería” and “mamitis,” otherwise known as “I want my mama.”  My mom and dad have always been very nurturing parents when it comes to me getting sick or getting hurt, so I’ve gotten used to the constant affection whenever I’ve felt down. This week, however, was a different story.

When I started feeling under the weather this week, I noticed that I also started to get very whiney and that’s when I stopped myself and said: “No mija no, me bajas la ñoñería esta.” I don’t like feeling needy or feeling like I’m craving attention because I don’t want to take time from anyone’s schedule in order for me to get some loving. However, I knew my mom was the only one around, and because I had her undivided attention, I let loose a bit and let it happen, because honestly, I don’t get the chance to be as loving as I want to my mom due to school and stress. So as I laid on the couch watching trash TV and eating a bag of kale chips and I indulged in tender loving care: my mom scratching my head, chugging water, and taking pain relief medication every four hours.

Every once in a while, I feel like getting sick is a blessing. Not only does it give us time to rest and realize that we need to slow down, but it also gives us the chance to accept that we can’t do everything at the same time. As my mom likes to say, “tu no eres superwoman.” Every once in a while, whether I get sick or not, I need to remind myself that I have to take the time to stop whatever I’m doing and take into consideration that I am human, and that I can’t juggle everything I want to do at once, especially when I have so much on my plate already. Besides, when you’re a teen like I am,  you tend to put up a front to prove to the world that you’ve got everything covered, but it’s okay if you don’t.  Take a second. Breathe. Look at your parents, and allow yourself to express your wanting for their time and affection, because that ñoñería I spoke about earlier, sometimes parents feel it too.