Thursday, November 20, 2008

Waiting room melt down

I just got back from taking Mikey to the doctor. He's had lots of crud in his nose and has been tugging on his ears. His ears look good but Dr. B prescribed an antibiotic for his sinuses. We waited in the waiting room for about 20 minutes. I'm guessing at the length of time. It may not have been that long...could have been longer. Regardless of how long it really was, it felt like an eternity. Mikey had the biggest public meltdown of his life. He was just absolutely out of control. I wouldn't let him get down and run. I forced him to sit in my lap or on the seat next to me. He was just freaking out. He sounded possessed. He probably looked possessed. It was really bad. I'm so worn out, both physically and emotionally right now. All I want to do is cry.

So this is to anyone who has ever witnessed this kind of total meltdown in public. This is to the people in the waiting room who were gawking at me and my son.

- Don't look at my child like he's a freak. He's a brilliant little boy who has a really hard time controlling himself sometimes.
-Don't look at me with pity. There is nothing to feel sorry for. I am blessed beyond measure with this child. He is perfect to me.
-Don't whisper to each other about my child right in front of my face. Just because I'm busy at the moment doesn't mean I'm too busy to take you outside and teach you a thing or two.
-Don't suggest things to me that might calm him down. There is no calming him down when he's like that. If there were, I would be acutely aware of it and would already be doing it, thank you very much.
-Don't act visibly annoyed or irritated by his behavior. Just get over yourself, please. And if you are really unable to deal with the noise, then remove yourself from the situation. Don't expect me to miraculously make him be quiet for your benefit.
-Don't say ridiculous, trite, obvious statements like "you've got your hands full" or "wow, he's not happy is he?." Seriously??? Wow, I hadn't noticed!!! Thanks so much for pointing that out to me, astute observer!!!!!
-Don't judge us.

Things you can do that won't make me want to punch you in the face:
-Kindly ignore us. That's pretty much the safest thing to do.
-Ask if there's anything you can do to help. I will most likely say no, but I would appreciate the sentiment.
-Tell me there's hope if you have had a child like this.
-Just have some grace. We're just doing the best we can.

I'm pretty sure I'll be fighting with Mikey and for Mikey for a long, long time.

3 comments:

Amy said...

Been there. I switched to a peditrician since there are lots of things for him to do there and they never over book so things move quickly.

Portable DVD players work too.

The Reich Blog said...

Mikey couldn't have a better mommy!

Unknown said...

Jenny, the ones who don't have compassion either haven't been through it or are too old to remember. Mikey's a blessing, and I know you're stressed, but you are doing fine. I've been there.

(I still want to find out how to get my last name off without loosing Google again. Not computer savey, you know.)