I'm feeling some pressure from Brickdude's flashy precedent to make post No. 150 some kind of a big deal. But to me, it's not. So, I won't. Heh.
We took our several-times-a-month (er, three or so) foray to a fast-food joint that usually would make me retch at the thought, but, well, eating even a fast-food salad in peace (child occupied) has a certain attraction. We tried out Burger King in Centreville this time. Unfortunately, a group of women had decided to take their teenagers there to play (I'm serious -- one might've been OLDER than a teen) whilst they sat around and gossiped, having long finished their food. I sat in the other room and steamed and tried not to glare at them until they left (at least a half hour later). It was one of those moments in which I felt completely entitled to have my child's considerations surpass everyone else's. After all, it is a PLAYGROUND. And she is a CHILD. As opposed to the rest of their wild, screaming, oversized, overaged bunch. (Lizzy was too freaked out by all of that to play at the same time.)
An aside: It's weird and scary how much I overreact to the small (perceived) inconsiderations people demonstrate, if a child is involved, now that I have Lizzy. You know -- the girls who are using the bathroom changing table to balance their coats and makeup on (ewwwww! who would want to do that, anyway?); the oblivious, self-absorbed 20-something who entered the only stall in a Sea-Tac airport bathroom that had a changing stall -- out of at least 25 stalls -- when a woman with an infant was right behind her ... Hm, I'm seeing a pattern here. I think I'm glad my child is out of diapers. It's the mommy gene, I tell you. THE MOMMY GENE WILL KILL PEOPLE IF HER CHILD STANDS TO BENEFIT. Suddenly, I'm feeling a little more kinship with the likes of the Texas cheerleader moms. Well, no, not really. Because I tend to stop short of murder. Screaming, however, I'll do in a microsecond.
But back to BK: So, as I say, these other moms eventually took themselves elsewhere, and we moved into the playroom. Has anyone seen this thing? It is the hugest monstrosity... It defies description. Imagine the most massive warren of gerbil-like plastic tunnels, but kid-sized, that you have ever seen, and multiply by at least 10 or 20. The thing had five or six levels of tunnels. And only two ways up and/or down. Children not only COULD get lost up there; the wonder is that they're ever able to get back down! As Matt said, once we'd had a good look at the thing: "No wonder those older kids figured they'd have a go." It'd be a most excellent laser tag kind of deal.
Lizzy managed to get up to the next level (Dee, Ryan, Becky, you know what I mean), and proceeded to get lost and freaked out a few times, but had some fun on it once a couple of other little kids showed up. And we all managed to pry our kids away by leaving at the same time.
Medical update: Lizzy and I went to the doctor this morning for a hearing test. Turns out, not enough sound is getting past the fluid in her ears that the ear tubes were supposed to drain. But one ear tube came out, and one is apparently stopped up. They pronounced her to have "mild to moderate hearing loss," but somehow tested the apparatus behind the fluid, and said her ears themselves are fine. It's fascinating to see how the docs can coerce a 3-year-old into complying with a hearing test! This doc, who was great, used "whistling blocks" -- she put a headphone, or a "crown," on Lizzy's head, and told her to listen for the blocks to whistle. When they did, drop them in the bucket. They were normal blocks -- the sound came through the earphones, of course -- but the doc used Lizzy dropping the blocks to indicate when she heard the noises. Very smart.
So, another round of ear tubes for Lizzy. With a side order of adenoid removal, just in case it helps. Matt's got serious issues with apnea or some such thing -- I can't quite convince him to go to the doc about it, but let's just say that the snoring can wake me up from across the hall -- so I figure, whatever they take out of Lizzy's breathing passage is probably a good thing, in case it's genetic. And Matt's dad has the same thing. Easier when they're young, and all that. I don't know when it'll all get done. Anyone know any drawbacks to adenoid removal?
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I know what you mean about the Mommy Gene. I get mad so much more easily about little things. I take Levi sometimes to a cool park that has separate play areas for toddlers and older kids. There is some leeway for 4-6 year olds, but when you get 10 yearolds climbing all over the baby toys and knocking over toddlers, I wonder where are their parents, how do they not stop this? And the older kid area is really cool, with a rock climbing wall and all.
ReplyDeleteI feel for Lizzy. I had tubes in my ears 4 times as a small child and another ear operation for something else.
I'm with you on the Mommy Gene ... I think it's part of the lack of looking out for others that is taking place in our society. If Junior wants to play in the little kid park then he should be allowed to even if he is too big ... who cares if he's knocking down all the genuinely little kids there. I used to get so mad at the pool. Because the little kid pool is reserved for little kids for a good reason ... they'll drown in the big one. During the life guard breaks the big kids swarm into the kiddy pools and just knock the toddlers over. It used to infuriate me. And there was nothing I could do.
ReplyDeleteOh don't get me started on the mommy gene. I can get really scary if I think something or someone is going to hurt Elizabeth. It's not pretty.
ReplyDeleteAnd the thing about the diaper changing area... oh my. One time we were at the international car show at the Jacob Javitz convention center in NYC. Elizabeth was pretty little -- I can't remember if it was four months or 16 months... but she was certainly in diapers. The changing table was on the wall next to the door. But the line to use the ladies room was so long it went outside the ladies room and down the hall. So I squeezed in just to use the table. There was a lady in line next to the table and she started to yell at me for cutting in line. I said, I wasn't cutting that I was just using the table an no one else was waiting for the table. She said that she knew I was using that as an excuse and I was just waiting for my opportunity to cut and she was going to watch me like a hawk to make sure I didn’t. I said, fine... go ahead. The whole time I was changing Elizabeth's exceptionally stinky diaper (and boy did the unusually excessive stench make me happy that day) the lady was hanging over my shoulder saying that she was still watching me and she wasn't going to let me get away with anything. What a lunatic!
Oh and you should tell Matt that sleep apnea causes impotence and heart attacks. But I'm sure he'll be more concerned about the impotence. I did a 510(k) for a CPAP machine (that's used to treat sleep apnea) so I know all about it... Tell him he better take care of it so he doesn't have to go on Viagra prematurely.
It's not just the "mommy gene". I think it comes down to basic awareness, and consideration for those around you.
ReplyDeleteI disapprove of "mommies" who park their kids in my college computer lab while they work. It's not the child's fault that they are acting like kids, (duh). But children are sometimes disruptive in an adult oriented environment.
I'm not sure if parks NEED to have separate play areas for big and little kids (they didn't in the 1950-1960s when I was growing up) What is NEEDED is for children to learn to be kind to little kids, and not "knock over" them. As to where are their parents? As the parent of the toddler, it is entirely appropriate to help older kids learn about being careful around the little ones (even if the older kids are not your children)
My (now adult) child was home schooled. Older and younger children regularly mixed it up at all of our homeschooling events- to the benifit of all.