We have nothing to fear but...Spider-Man band-aids and the blood pressure cuff
James is a brave little guy. There are a few things that unnerve him, though, and they're not what you might expect.
For instance, yesterday he fell and scraped up the palm of his hand while he was running around the yard. A nasty scrape, and right at that part of the palm that's constantly stretching when you move your thumb. He barely cried. His bravery continued as we went inside to clean up his hand and put some ointment on it. And then...the band-aid appeared on the scene, and it was all over.
One of the kids in James's music class this summer always showed up with about 20 band-aids covering lots of different parts of his arms and legs. I spent most of June and July wondering what was up with this -- finally, it was revealed that he just liked band-aids (particularly those with cartoon characters on them) and would clamor for them on every trip to the grocery store. Apparently -- I learned from other parents in the class -- this is more common than you'd think.
So I picked up some Spider-Man band-aids at the Safeway, figuring I could produce them in triumph if James ever needed a band-aid. I brought one out yesterday. Immediate hysteria. James cried and cried, and didn't stop until the band-aid, the band-aid wrapper, and, indeed, the band-aid box had all been stowed completely out of his sight. Even after that, he kept suspiciously eyeing the drawer where I'd stuck the box.
Later in the day I took him to my obstetrician's office with me. (I was home sick, and since he'd stayed home with me I thought it would be fun for him to hear his little brother's heartbeat. More to the point, I had no choice but to take him.) He had a blast making friends with the other people in the waiting room and with all the office staff. Trouble arrived when it was time to take my blood pressure. I think James thought the blood pressure cuff would hurt me -- he started screaming and screaming, and could not get hold of himself even when I (and the nurse) explained that the cuff didn't hurt. He also did not like the Doppler machine or the measuring tape, and shouted at them too. It was really very sweet, but I did feel bad for him (and the office staff...).
For instance, yesterday he fell and scraped up the palm of his hand while he was running around the yard. A nasty scrape, and right at that part of the palm that's constantly stretching when you move your thumb. He barely cried. His bravery continued as we went inside to clean up his hand and put some ointment on it. And then...the band-aid appeared on the scene, and it was all over.
One of the kids in James's music class this summer always showed up with about 20 band-aids covering lots of different parts of his arms and legs. I spent most of June and July wondering what was up with this -- finally, it was revealed that he just liked band-aids (particularly those with cartoon characters on them) and would clamor for them on every trip to the grocery store. Apparently -- I learned from other parents in the class -- this is more common than you'd think.
So I picked up some Spider-Man band-aids at the Safeway, figuring I could produce them in triumph if James ever needed a band-aid. I brought one out yesterday. Immediate hysteria. James cried and cried, and didn't stop until the band-aid, the band-aid wrapper, and, indeed, the band-aid box had all been stowed completely out of his sight. Even after that, he kept suspiciously eyeing the drawer where I'd stuck the box.
Later in the day I took him to my obstetrician's office with me. (I was home sick, and since he'd stayed home with me I thought it would be fun for him to hear his little brother's heartbeat. More to the point, I had no choice but to take him.) He had a blast making friends with the other people in the waiting room and with all the office staff. Trouble arrived when it was time to take my blood pressure. I think James thought the blood pressure cuff would hurt me -- he started screaming and screaming, and could not get hold of himself even when I (and the nurse) explained that the cuff didn't hurt. He also did not like the Doppler machine or the measuring tape, and shouted at them too. It was really very sweet, but I did feel bad for him (and the office staff...).
posted by Ridley at
1:09 PM
4 Comments:
Freak-outs are very unpredictable. For example, small Ridley has never had a problem with the psychedelic, trippy elephant-dream stuff in "Dumbo." She did, however, go into hysterics when Piglet's blanket got all wet in the rain-rain-rain scene of "Winnie The Pooh." We haven't watched it since.
I have those spiderman band-aids, too. They always improve my mood considerably and make me feel nimble and strong.
oh wait, but on closer inspection, this is not working for James. Maybe I will have a conversation with him about this. ALso, I need to stop using my full name in comments as they are popping up on google. Cannot delete!
pps I like that the chronicle of James is protected by a creative commons license. this is very progressive of him. c
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