The Dr. Is In

by Amy Platon

Advice on stitches removal. Hand the tweezers to your six-year old son.

I see that look of horror on your face. But I mean it.

Lots of good things come out of empowering your kids with real responsibility. The beautiful thing about stitches is that they look so medically important. They look complicated, painful, and even a little gross. But the reality is, that at the end of their term, there are virtually painless. They’re also super simple to extract… only the kids have no idea about that. Let’s face it, my kids think rice crispy treats require culinary skills, and I’m nowhere near bursting that bubble!

So, on to some good ol' fashioned Mommy Magic. I called the whole family into the bathroom. I cut the knot off and I pulled the first two stitches out to show them how it’s done. Then I handed the tweezers off. My son pulled out the next two and my daughter (not enough coordination to use the tweezers) pulled her two out with her fingers.

They were so absorbed in the experience that 1. I trusted them with not just my body but with my boo-boo. 2. It made them feel like doctors (no harm in that). 3. It Dissolved any potential fear about getting stitches, should they need them in the future. And 4. I had them “fix” something on me, that I didn’t scream and cry about.

And believe me, I made that point clear. “See Mommy doesn’t mind letting you help me with my boo-boo. Just like you let me help you with yours.” Ahh yes, I do believe the lights came on about that one!

Don't have any stitches to share? Well next time you get blood drawn, have the kids watch - if you don't scream and cry that is. Or let them put your eye drops in for you. Still not that brave? Let them administer your band-aid then. They'll totally love you for it!

I guess I need some sort of disclosure about this post, just to cover any potential issues, so here goes: I’m no doctor, despite the title. These are merely suggestions from a crazy mom who just wants to take any opportunity to open her children’s eyes a little wider to the world around them. Her stories are for entertainment use only!

But they are true.

Finding My Stride

by Amy Platon
Our Family Photo by Judy Hills

So I found myself driving somewhere and thinking of all the things I have to do. That’s what driving does to me. I plan my life behind the wheel. (And under the showerhead and behind the vacuum handle.)

So on this particular occasion, I was going over everything, and I started to panic. Not like bee in the car swerving or anything, but I started to feel overwhelmed.

Like most moms, I have this ongoing list of core values. I want to be a good mom and wife. I want to be good at my job. I want to be a safe driver. I want to be a helpful person. Blah blah blah…. You know the list - you have one too.

So, I decided that all those expectations were starting to wear a hole in my jeans - because I’ve been falling down. For example, while I’m busy being a safe driver, I’m not being a good mom, or a good listener because the kids are trying to tell me about their day or pass me their trash or asking me to look at their Play Dough creation. All while I’m trying to focus on driving.

Or lets say I want to be good at my job, and I want to be a good wife, but if I bring work home with me, then I’m not paying attention to my husband. See what I’m saying, it’s all too crazy.

Ok, so back behind the wheel. I’m driving, and getting overwhelmed. But there’s nothing I can do that minute to make things any better for myself. I’m stuck behind the wheel after all. All I can do is drive. Then it hits me. Not the random street cone thing, I was able to avoid that, but this thought. I am driving, and that is the only thing I can do at my best right now. So I drive. 100 percent focused on driving.

Once I got to work, I put the keys in my purse, and I decided that I still can’t make the other stuff any better right now - but I can do my job well. So I gave my job 100 percent while I was there. When I got home, I put the keys in my purse, and hubby was home. I was able to be a wife 100 percent while he was there.

So, I learned that if I break my expectations down to manageable parts, and give 100 percent while I’m there, then I’m hitting all my goals. (Not the curb, haven’t hit one of those in a while since I figured this out.) And the driving with the kids thing, well I’ve just let myself off the hook for that one. Driving is more important, and I can be a good mom when were safely parked.

Just thought I’d share a little something from my Mommy Bag.

More mommy bag Stories:
What's Your Story?
Laying Off the Tears
Candy Land

What's Your Story?

by Amy Platon

After dropping my daughter off at school, I came home to an empty house. And for a writer that is pure gold.

But today, I just had too much to do. So I couldn’t indulge. There were bills to pay, beds to make, clothes to fold (then put away). So when I got home, I knew I had to get busy fast in order to have a few minutes to write at the end of the day. Only fast didn’t feel likely, since I worked the night before, sluggish was a little more my mood.

So, I walked into the kitchen to the sound of the dishwasher working away at cleaning the dishes. I forgot that I had turned it on before I left, which I rarely do. Usually, I run the dishes at night.

But there was something consoling about the washer being on when I got home. It was the sound of - me too, you’re not alone, hey lady - we’re on the same team. That, for a mom, is pure platinum.

So I raced the machine. I tried to get my stuff done before the machine was done with its dishes. And it wasn’t that I wanted to beat the machine, that would be childish and I’m just not that competitive. It was more that I wanted us to be done together. Ok, so I did a teeny victory dance when I won.

But I think really, it’s a sound of things getting done, in progress, on their way that had me motivated to get going. Cause in my mind all I had to do was “finish up” the work, not “get started” on it.

And ain’t that the truth? Finishing up on the work is way easier.

So here’s a little nugget from my mommy bag of advice, if you can leave something for yourself, a little present for the future, then I say do it. Do it often. Start something before you go to bed so that in the morning you only have to finish it up. Leave the washer on, lay out your clothes, just make the sandwich for your kids lunch, so in the morning you only have to finish assembling it.

It’ll have you feeling rich!

Share the wealth. What’s your story?

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