Staying in your pajamas all day, watching endless cartoons, and snuggling up under the covers sounds like the plan for a relaxing day—unless you’re sick. My daughter woke up at 2 a.m. with a stomach ache and vomitting, and that’s how she has spent her day. I have vivid memories of being sick with a stomach bug as a kid – the kind of illness that makes you wish you were at school. You know you’re really sick when you can’t even enjoy all of the laziness that comes with being ill.

Since I’ve had children I have an unusally low tolerance for throwing up. The smallest things make me nauseated and send me running to the bathroom. So it was out of the question that I would stand next to my daughter last night and watch her throw up in the bathroom. Instead, I showed my support by laying in my bed as she gave me a play-by-play rundown.

“Mom, now I’m leaning over the toilet. Now I’m gonna throw up. Now I’m really gonna throw up. Now, I can feel it burning in my chest. Now it’s in my throat. Cough. Gag. Cough. Puke.” Gross. I had to cover my ears with a pillow. Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water and my throat tickle. I was trying to keep my own queasiness at bay last night while still being supportive from underneath my pillow. Eventually she stopped throwing up and I fell asleep. I’m not exactly clear which of those two events happened first, but I’m hoping it wasn’t the latter. At least I know I made up for it by being the good, compassionate nurse all day, doting on her every need.

Question: What do you do to comfort your children when they are feeling under the weather?