Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Yes - it's an OT rant

Kind of. Well I guess you could call it a rant. We'll see when it's done. LOL.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketI need to tell you this story in order to tell you my point. Sorry LOL. When I was young, I was in and out of the hospital literally every other month. I had severe asthma when I was young. Oxygen tents, IV, heck I flatlined twice (explains alot now doesn't it? LMAO) At the end of one of my bi-monthly visits I remember there was another little girl down the hall from me who always looked so sad. Somehow she had gotten burned and had her leg and arm and part of her face bandaged up. Since I was frequently at this hospital, I knew alot of the nurses and what not and once my oxygen tent was removed I was allowed to move about freely. So I went and saw this little girl but she wouldn't talk to me, she would just smile as I acted goofy. Finally I asked her if she would like to go for a ride. I had snagged one of the small wagons from the toy room and she climbed in, still not saying a word but giggling. I pulled her out of the room and started up the hall when she spotted the water fountain. She pointed and I steered. She gripped the side of it and pulled herself up and started drinking and that was when I heard someone yell. Being around 7 myself I freaked and turned around to see about 5 nurses and orderlies running at us. I plastered myself up against the wall because I didn't know what was going on except that suddenly all these people were there yelling and gasping and reaching for this little girl. I couldn't get far enough into the wall to disappear so at the first shot of freedom I ran to my room and I cried. A little while later one of my favorite nurses (I feel so bad I can't remember her name or her face anymore just that she was sweet and had brown hair) came in and told me that I had done nothing wrong and I shouldn't cry. She explained that the little girl could have gotten hurt worse and that was when my Mother came in. My Mom asked what had happened and the nurse started explaining it to her but before she was done I got shot the insane look along with a spatter of "What the hell is wrong with you, you should know better than that!" And I started crying all over again. The nurse shot her a dirty look then leaned in to cover me and fix my IV and before she left she whispered in my ear that that had been the first time she had seen the other little girl smile in the month she had been there and that she was all right.

Now for the reason I told you that story LOL. Anyway, there are lots of kids where I live, mostly little ones because the apartments I live in cater mostly to those who are in "Buyer's Limbo" as I call it. They have sold their houses and are either waiting for their new house to be finished or for the current occupants to finish vacating the premises. There are a couple of small children who scream their lungs out periodically, mostly because apparently that is how they get their attention. The typical speaking or yanking on Mom's shorts apparently does not get the requested response quickly enough but that blood curdling, seeking out my spine and shooting straight up into my cerebral cortex scream works just fine. (insert rolling eye emoticon here) There is one child in particular that lives right behind me I would say he is maybe 2. Almost everyday this child is out on the balcony BY HIMSELF Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucketand all he does is say hello to everyone who goes by. Adorable child really, very friendly and cute as a button. So when I go outside his radar kicks in and he looks right up at me and starts with the wave and "Hi!, hi, hi!" with the bottle hanging out of his mouth. LOL Really, it is very cute. So like I said this child is all of about two and last week he was on the patio, by himself and knocked over a plant. No big deal right? A little bit of a mess, it's concrete, you grab a broom and sweep it up or even just off the side of the patio (they are on the first floor) but no not this "woman" She comes barreling out of the house about 2 or 3 minutes later screaming like someone just murdered her dog and there is this child with the bottle hanging out of his face crying. He had been crying already cause the boom scared him when the pot hit but now she was flipping out on him. All I could think of was when I was little (and I was around 7 at that time) and how scared I was. I know the circumstances were a little different, but still, it reminded me.

Kids have accidents - kids are SUPPOSED to have accidents. If everything were perfect, they would never learn anything. But how bad is it? You can clean up dirt, you can even clean up spilled juice, ketchup, you can sew a ripped sleeve or pant leg, you can even buy that leather looking stuff if your sofa or car seat gets torn. Have you seen that new commercial where the kid is shaking the soda and the top pops off and hits the Mom in his head and sprays soda all over her? She starts to yell then shoots water at him with the sink spray hose? That is sooooo funny and true. All that mess can be cleaned up. They will still remember next time to not shake the bottle so why make them feel bad about an accident. You can tell there was not intent on the kids face, he just wasn't thinking. So hypotetically, if the commercial were real, the child will still remember what happens when you shake the soda bottle but he will also remember how his Mom handled it, and he will also learn forgiveness. I think that's a fair trade off for a little mess, don't you?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You said it all! And so very well. :o)

Tracy said...

These kind of people make me so angry. there are so many great couples who can't have kids and then there are horid people who treat their kids like poop and seem to be able to have as many as they want, even though they don't appreciate the fact that Children are a gift. We are trying to get pregnant through IVF and I just get so mad when I see people like that woman behind you Terrell. good on you for your post.
Also, I am so sorry that you had to experience that kind of distress when you were only 7 yo and already scared and not well when you were in Hospital.
Hugs Hun

Just Me said...

VERY good post!!!!

Anonymous said...

Isn't it amazing how 'simple' things can scar us forever? I could just cry over your story & the little boy. My grandson is 2 right now & it just breaks my heart when I see people treat their kids the way you described. The saddest part is that it is not an isolated case though!! It is so sad for people like Tracy who would probably be a wonderful parent, and then the people that shouldn't have any children have a house full!! It just makes me sick to think of all the scars that little boy will carry with him his whole life, as have you. It is terrible that you still remember that incident so well, and it has left such a mark on you. I am sorry for that. Thank you for sharing with us.

Anonymous said...

It is so easy to react in the moment and not to think about the long term consequences. Your Blog was very true. I wish I had more water spraying in my childhood, and that I had given my children more of them too. That's the problem. History often repeats itself.

Anonymous said...

very well said by both your blog & anonymous!