Worry was a pesky, uninvited visitor. I envied my partner and children who appeared genuinely switched off and relaxedSharing the load is a column about parenting children of all agesWe were in the tuk-tuk when my four-year-old son screamed blue murder. We pulled over and discovered he had been bitten by something, and my mind immediately leapt to the worst-case scenario. It had to be a dengue-carrying mosquito! We were in a remote part of Cebu Island in the Philippines, far from any major hospitals. It was a Sunday. Why hadn’t I put on more repellant? How had he been bitten through his rashie? Why had I brought my young family here?My partner, meanwhile, was calm. Back at our homestay, he found a cold drink to use as an ice pack and sat with our son until he settled. When we checked the bite minutes later, there was no redness, no swelling, barely even a mark. Our son, now happily watching TV, could hardly point to which arm it had been on. Continue reading...
