Thirty- something speaks
Look what the pre- schooler dragged in!
Mike Maddock

I have kids, three of them to be exact, so I've developed a certain level of expectation for the unexpected. I'm not surprised when a Lightning McQueen toy racecar appears in the icebox. I barely take a second look when four American Girl dolls are having a tea party at my dinner table with a headless Ken doll and a Buzz Lightyear action figure.

I casually step over the Superman and Barbie Bubble Bath in my shower, and I live with the fact my Bassett Hound may come plodding by every once and a while with a feather boa wrapped around his neck.

My life is one gigantic Picasso painting because of the bizarre objects and strange looking things my kids leave scattered about, but I don't mind. It keeps me on my toes and makes trips to the bathroom a little more interesting.

But something happened the other day that even I was a little unprepared to deal with.

My two daughters are in grade school, and my son is in pre- school, so someone in our house always has a runny nose, fever, or some other kind of ailment.

It's just the nature of the business. When a young student's sleeve is treated like Kleenex and just about anything is eligible for tasting, then schools, especially pre- schools, are like Disney World for germs. My wife and I would keep a keg of Amoxicillin in the refrigerator if the doctor would let us, but that's not going to happen so we venture to the pediatrician's office on a fairly regular basis.

My son had been riding a fever off and on for several days, which is not uncommon, until he spent a night coughing and the fever reached the mommy panic zone.

As per the protocol, my wife took him to the doctor the next day. We expected one of two diagnoses: the ear/sinus infection, which comes with a nice prescription and a decent night of sleep, or the dreaded viral infection, which comes with a nice bit of nothing and several more sleepless nights. We got something different this time.

The doctor said my son had Scarlet Fever.

Scarlet Fever???

I wasn't sure what to make of that. I was prepared for an ear infection or strep throat, but not Scarlet Fever! Wasn't that something people got in medieval times? I half expected the doctor to prescribe a good bleeding or maybe send us home with a sample of leeches. I mean Scarlet Fever was what killed one of the girls in Little Women ; it wasn't supposed to re- emerge in my kid's pre- school class!

Was my son going to have to wear a letter on his chest? Was my front door going to be marked? Panic set in, but apparently my ignorance and ensuing nervous breakdown were completely unnecessary.

Scarlet Fever is a treatable form of strep throat these days. While it once was a killer, Scarlet Fever is now little more than a harsh cold with a rash, unless it's left untreated. Then it can go medieval on you. No leeches are prescribed, just antibiotics and rest. Who knew?

I guess it's still possible to be a little surprised even if Lightning McQueen is floating in my iced tea.