The product of the week is hand sanitizer.
You can be assured that, with three teens and a tween in the house, we are always out of something. Milk, deodorant, tampons, bagels, etc.
Many of the conversations initiated by the kids begin with “Mom, we need …” or “Aunt Renee, we’re all out of ….” This week it’s all about hand sanitizer.
Pocket-sized hand sanitizer. Haven’t you heard? It’s the new lip gloss. It’s the latest accessory, kind of like the comb in the back pocket of our day.
Hand washing is in, even among the middle school crowd.
I knew something good could come from this whole swine flu situation.
Another bonus? Custodians are beefing up their efforts to sanitize the schools. Now, I don’t mean any disrespect to school custodians, they are generally a hardworking and patient lot, but let’s face it, schools are giant petri dishes. A thorough disinfecting can be nothing but a good thing.
That brings me to the very frightening and real possibility that just one confirmed case could shut down a school for seven days or more.
Did I mention I have three teens and a tween?
At first this thought was troubling, but then all this talk of cleanliness and idle children got me thinking.
Visions danced in my head. I saw children with rags and dusters, disinfectant and sponges, vacuum cleaners and mops. Maybe even old toothbrushes. Four children, two rooms each, top to bottom. Painting touch ups, cupboard organization.
As memos began appearing this week from the school with information and policies that would be followed should the flu erupt here, the visions became more real.
I’m certainly not hoping for an outbreak, but any good and responsible mother needs to have a plan in place. I’ve developed mine.
Should this occur, my kids are going to learn what it means to give a house a good scrubbin’.
I must admit I’m a bit giddy with the thought of it.
Of course the suggestion that this outbreak could become so serious that we must confine ourselves to our homes for days is a bit concerning.
Did I mention I have three teens and a tween?
First of all, I don’t care how much I stock up on food, the 15-year-old boy will consume it at a faster rate than expected and there is a real possibility that the rest of us will starve.
Second, there is only one computer in the house and I must have my Facebook time, and that most often occurs when the kids are busy elsewhere.
Third, can you spell b-i-c-k-e-r-i-n-g?
But perhaps I’m being too negative. Maybe my kids and I will clean all day and drink lemonade and play board games all evening and joyfully pass the quarantined time away.
It could happen.
Meanwhile, I genuinely hope you and your families stay healthy.
But I’ll keep on dreaming.
The rest of you can go ahead and stock up on water and bread and whatever else the Centers for Disease Control recommends to get you through this potential crisis. Me? I’m stocking up on cleaning supplies.
And speaking of stock, a small investment in the hand sanitizer business may not be such a bad idea.
reneeordway@gmail.com