When my kids feel injured they don't just cry, they scream. Liam particularly. He rarely takes stock of his wounds before screaming out in hysteria. I think Joshua may be learning from him too because he has been known to shout over minor bumps and falls.
It's not that I'm not sympathetic but we're really talking about injuries that lack crucial signs of actually being injuries. They might bump their head or fall down (in the grass) and break out into blood curdling screams. I walk over in my due time only to find that there's no injury to be seen. No bruise, no redness, no blood (though they try to persuade me otherwise), nothing. And yet they're inconsolable.
Why would I be so horrible as to only walk over to my wounded young? Well, it's just experience. They've really trained me and not in a good way. It's hard to explain to children under the age of 7 this whole "Boy Who Cried Wolf" thing. I've tried to tell the fable but there's just no connection between a boy in a field with sheep crying "Wolf" and them feeling as though they've been permanently scarred several times a day. They just don't see the connection that the more they scream over little things, the harder it is for me to muster up a run over to their help. I DO HELP MY KIDS IN NEED (no misunderstandings there please). I'm just saying that if my child screams bloody murder and you are very concerned and you see me walking, not running, there's a reason why. Most times it's nothing more than a little red and there's really nothing I can do besides give a kiss. Whoever thought that kids would sit with an ice pack on their head really hasn't met my kids (it doesn't matter if we use the boo boo bunny or an ice pack shaped like a car, they'll tolerate it for all of 15 seconds). Recently after I gave Liam the obligatory boo-boo-kiss he actually looked up at me and said, "You know, kissing it doesn't make it better!" So who am I kidding? Maybe they need a band aid but that's surprisingly rare. We've had our Snoopy band aids for over 2 years and now that we have the new box- the Transformers, Liam is just dying to get hurt to use up those old band aids so he can start using the Transformers!
Of course, there's always those times when there is actually a wolf. Take the time that Liam screamed at a play date. He had been running around in a good friend's backyard. A friend who takes good care of her backyard. Liam was barefoot and playing in the pool and then onto a small playground. When he cried out I went over and I did see some blood on his foot. I lovingly picked him up and sat him on a chair. I told him I would be right back with a band aid (I omitted the fact that since we were at a girl's house, he would probably end up with a Hello Kitty band aid, not a Transformer). Well as I was finding a towel and band aid inside, apparently the situation became more perilous outside. Liam started gushing blood out of his foot. Within a short time he was back playing which left me to reflect. Did I move too slow? Should I panic every time he or Josh panics (mind you, that's 3 times each a day)?
I think the answers are "No" and "No". I wouldn't say I moved slow, just efficiently and I wouldn't say I should panic, it's certainly preferable to maintain calm especially if there is an emergency to deal with.
But I think I lost sight of the title of this entry... it's what made me think of the drama kings currently sleeping in their beds. Earlier tonight they were both in the bath getting shampooed and lathered up. Why is it that their kiddie shampoo says "Tear Free" yet both kids panic in utter despair every time soap gets close to even an eyelid (let alone an eyeball)? Unfortunately our bathroom is somewhat echoey and I really could do without all of the screaming in the tub! It's just soap and it's not like it's grown up soap (have you ever had Pert Plus in your eye?)! So I've decided I will try it out just to see if it really is tear free. I am a little reluctant because I've read and heard about parents trying this experiment before...and the moment of truth is:
It stings and I can't help but cry a little bit (but I'm not screaming about it!). Seriously, my eyes are watering up. I don't think I want to try the body wash.
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