Killing time. That was my job today.
I dropped Sara off at school. I ran into a mom who I really wanted to talk to. I was running late, so I still had Laura with me. Instead of running Laura to school and then reversing the whole process to get them for flu shots, I walked with Lisa. I soaked up more wisdom about how to build a school community and advice about how to chose school volunteering opportunities. I was nice to get some mentoring.
Laura howled a bit. She got tired of the playground. She didn’t want to be in the stroller. She didn’t want to hold my hand. My first emotion was embarrassment in front of Lisa. But then, I shook that emotion off. Laura is Laura. Part of life with Laura is howling. She is often displeased with the world and its rules. But mostly, she’s happy with it.
Howling and moods are one aspect of this personality trait, but bravery and bravado are another side. A side I was about to see.
We picked up Sara and walked to the pediatrician. I realized I had forgotten to bring any extra diapers. So I had to use the sagging one she had on for the rest of the appointment. She actually went potty which helped me.
When the nurse came in with the shots, Sara started becoming very fearful and anxious. When the nurse asked who wanted to go first, Laura pulled down her sleeve and stepped forward. Sara started to whimper during Laura’s shot. She was sad during hers. She took the nurses instructions to heart and then started admonishing Laura to move her “shot” arm around to mitigate the pain.
Sara’s history with shots has been one of stoicism. As a baby, she rarely needed tylenol and it was only a small blip in her day. It’s been a long time since she’s gotten them. I think she’s learning to anticipate. That’s not always a gift.
We had donuts afterwards. Donuts cover over a multitude of sins (and hurts).
The best moment was Laura, with a lollipop from the doctor in her hand, found a candy on the floor and put it in her mouth while I had my back turned to order more sugar in the form of donuts. How much sugar does one kid need at one time? We discussed the concept of dirt and germs again. I’m not sure it made much of an impact. She really enjoys sugar.