Now That's True Empathy

Brianna has had a few unpleasant experiences with doctors and doctor's offices. The most recent being on the day when we were car shopping. Ben and Brianna were in the back seat when Brianna took a very tiny clasp from Ben's chain-type key-chain; this upset Ben who wanted it back; Brianna wanted to be sure that Ben couldn't get it back, so she shoved it up her nose -- WAY up her nose.

We headed to Daddy's office to try to remove it. It was Saturday, so we were the only people at the office. This meant that I had the next to impossible task of holding Brianna still so James could get a good look inside her nose. She was so upset, and would NOT hold still, so we had to strap her to a board, or a papoose, so that James could actually scope her nose, because, as I said before, she shoved it WAY up her nose.

Now, if you're Brianna, and moving is as vital to your existence as is breathing, being strapped to a board is more than just torture. It was truly the most pathetic thing I've witnessed with my children. She was SO upset, and yet, through her tears, and panic, she was very articulate. "Daddy, please don't hurt me any more!" "I don't like this!" "Please Doctor, please don't do this any more!" "Please don't hurt me Doctor!" It about broke James' and my heart -- especially that she dissociated James from the incident and stopped calling him Daddy, and called him Doctor instead. Thankfully, she lived through the incident, and, I think she learned a vital lesson -- the nose, while an effective hiding place, is NOT the best choice.

So, today, when I got a VERY painful splinter in the palm of my right hand, and couldn't get it out myself, I called James' office to see if anyone would be willing to dig it out for me. I knew James was stuck in surgery all day, but luckily, one of the very kind PA's was willing and available. So, I told the kids to get on their shoes so we could go. Brianna became very concerned when I told her where and why we were going. "Don't let them bruise you, Mommy!" She started crying and begging me to not go and to definitely not let them bruise me. I tried to reassure her that everything would be fine and that no one would bruise me. And then, I tried to reassure her that no one would hurt her at all either. She finally calmed a bit, but in the car, she again told me not to let them bruise me. I said, "No one is going to bruise me, I will be just fine." She said, "I better talk to the workers!"

On the way up the elevator, she gave me one last important bit of advice, "Don't lay down!" When we arrived, she marched right up to the "workers" and said, "Don't bruise my mommy!"

I had told her that she didn't even have to come in the room when they worked on my owie. I told her that she could stay in the hallway and read a book. So when they showed us to a room, she said, "May I read a book?" They took her out, and after I was all fixed up, she showed up with a huge handful of Dora stickers.

She got her stickers, I got my sliver removed (which was waaay too small to have caused such incredible pain!), and I am happy to report that so far, there are no bruises!

My sweet, precious, empathetic baby!