I don’t think that there is anyone who didn’t warn me that I should brace myself with the colds and flu that come with children joining school but no one prepared me for how immediate it would be.

One month after she joined school, Kwezi was hit by what in my opinion is the nastiest cold that she has ever had since she was born four years ago. For eight days now, she has not set foot in class and it looks like she won’t be able to go until next week.

Kwezi has had some respiratory challenges before and I sometimes think that is maybe why her colds are not easy to deal. Like everyone; young or adult, colds make her lose her appetite, her energy and she is constantly almost irritable. However, we had to deal with a fever which is normal with flu and should go down with suppository tablets, but in her case, that too didn’t work and she had to get an injection. Before that, we had to deal with two episodes of vomiting. I had to talk to a doctor who told me that with very wet cough, there is always a possibility of an infection and we had to get antibiotics which my mother says have made a big difference.

Her teacher; whom she fondly calls ‘teacher Winnie’ also called to ask what happened to her student. After I explained, she advised me to keep her on treatment until she is 100 per cent okay or otherwise I would have to deal with cough and a running nose that never goes away.

I have now wrapped my mind around the possibility of nursing a cold every few weeks. The way forward for me is to work on how best to improve her immunity. There is need to incorporate more fruits and vegetables. I have been doing my research and other than yoghurt and oats, I realised that there is need to include more garlic, oily fish like tuna, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and yams, among others.

I am lucky that Kwezi loves water and we have to find a way to perhaps make her drink a little more and to reduce the sugary stuff that I pack for her break time snack.

I also found out that enough sleep is important but I am happy to report that in that particular area, both mother and child are safe.

I need to do more reading about more creative ways to make these meals because we all know that healthy food is also not the tastiest in the world. Every day is a new opportunity to learn something new and I am looking forward.