The Best Care Invisible Money Can Buy

I've been sick the past few days with a cold I'm going to call "The Sinus Crud," because it involves some sort of sludge blopping along behind my nose and throat, causing pain and discomfort but not showing any particular intention to get blown or coughed out.

We have a tradition, when I'm sick, of my son coming to do a check-up on me. Well, not my son, exactly: his imaginary friend, done up with an M.D. "Dr. Scooby" takes my temperature and checks my throat and asks me questions, and usually advises rest and quiet.

He's not cheap, goodness knows -- last night's visit cost $850. But he takes invisible cash, so we're good.

This is one of those secret sweet things about having a child with a developmental disability -- the way that childish routines most kids have long scrapped by adolescence are still going. "Dr. Scooby's" voice has gotten a lot deeper over the years, and when he leans over my bed it's from a greater height, but he still makes house calls. And prescribes hugs.

Do you have any cute illness routines with your kids? Share them in the comments.