Every time it is winter, I try to avoid catching a cold or fever because I hate being sick. I do not understand why my friends do not worry about getting sick. I wonder if my friends have any respect for their body.

I heard it is alright to be sick once in awhile. Being sick is beneficial because it allows a person’s immune system to develop antibodies. However, my overprotected mother disagrees. Before I step outside the house, my mother would always make sure I do not leave home without a jacket. She tells me, “Keep an extra jacket in your car, for just in case! You never know, you might get stranded somewhere!” I know my mom is being considerate by watching out for me; however, it is not as if I will be driving too far from home.

What I do not understand about my mother is that she truly wants me to avoid getting sick at all costs! She claims that at my age, getting sick will be harder to diagnose! She tells me how there are some dangerous viruses out there and constantly reminds me to be careful and to take care of myself.

Since my mother has been a nurse for more than 20 years, she tells me about her patients and their serious health related problems at her work. One day she told me about a lady, younger than me, who already has breast cancer. I thought a woman could only get breast cancer when she is older. However, that is not the case. My mom claims that after a woman turns 18, she is susceptible to breast cancer. That is a little frightening to me. After my mom told me about the young lady with breast cancer, she continued to tell me how I should check myself once in awhile and to let her know if I feel any bumps at all. When I have a headache or if I cough to clear my throat, immediately my mother questions me if I am sick. When I start to show signs of getting sick, my mom makes me take medicine, especially antibiotics! She believes I should take medicine right away before I get any worse.

Therefore, when I started to have a sore throat last week, I knew I was going to get sick! In order to avoid being lectured by my mother about how I do not take care of myself, I decided to take medicine without her knowing it. I thought it would help ease my throat; but, it did not help at all. I started to lose my voice during work and for the next few days, I could not talk at all. I managed to stay away from my mother on the days I could not talk. I really did not want to hear her lecture to me. When my throat got a little better, I started to talk to her. She noticed how my voice sounded different and asked me if I was getting sick. I just told her that my throat is sore. Luckily, since my throat was sore and I could not talk much, I was able to avoid explaining to my mother how I lost my voice.