Today a young mother came into the store with her two small children.
She let out an audible sigh as she approached me at the register.
Tough morning? I asked.
Yeah, we just came from my son's pre K check up. There were shots and tests and tears and I had to restrain him. He really hates going to the doctor. I think I was even more upset than he was she said.
I commiserated. It seems like not so long ago I was in her shoes.
Jeff was the same kind of kid. He hated the doctor and even pulling out a splinter would usually cause him go ballistic. Most doctor visits involved me holding him down so the nurse could do her thing.
A year ago Jeff needed to have a breathing treatment that he really didn't want. Although he had limited understanding of what was happening to him he did know he didn't want a suction tube put down his throat. It was my job to restrain him. What I will never forget is how ALS had taken Jeff's strength. My nearly six foot tall, two hundred pound son couldn't fight off his mothers restraint. As much as Jeff hated that procedure, I hated having to hold him down a hundred times more. I hated seeing how weak and vulnerable my son had become. I hated seeing him slipping away.
Some days are harder than others.
Today was really hard.
Encourage one another,
