Bring in the Reinforcements
A few weeks ago in the middle of his baseball game, my 8-year-old told me he needed to go home and take a nap. That was a sure sign he was sick because nap is never in his vocabulary! He said he was hot and that his neck felt kind of sore. So we went to urgent care where a peppy, young nurse told him she needed to get a strep culture by swabbing his throat.
“No. I don’t want to do that because it makes me gag!” he said emphatically.
“I’ve got a way that won’t make you gag,” she explained as she tried to coax him into allowing the long cue tip stick to touch his sore throat.
“You know how a dog sticks his tongue out and pants when he’s hot?” she asked as she rapidly shook her head up and down and panted. “Do you have a dog?”
“Not anymore,” he said. “My dog died last week.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. But really if you pant like a dog, you won’t gag as much.” He wasn’t buying it.
“I know what else would help!” she said excitedly. “Here’s your once chance to stick your tongue out at your mom and not get in trouble, go for it.” He scrunched up his nose and frowned. “Stick your tongue out at me then,” she said. Same response.
“OK,” she said, “It goes like this, I need to swab your throat, and I’m going to bring in the reinforcements who will hold you down like a 2-year-old if you don’t let me do it right now.”
The light suddenly went on, and he let her swab his throat. The culture turned out positive for strep. And the nurse brought him a tan Beanie dog, named Bones, with his lime Popsicle.
Blessings,
Mary Darr
Editor, MOMSnext ezine
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