Today in a fit of craziness I took all three boys to get a flu shot. By myself. I knew it was stupid, but working out logistics for Rock n Roll to be there to help just wasn’t possible. I bribed them all with icecream if they could handle it well because I knew Mr. President would not, indeed, handle it well. I supremely underestimated him.
Just as background, when he got his kindergarten shots this summer he did fine for the first three but when they threw in a fourth they had missed previously it got painful. He came out balling and deathly afraid of shots. I had no idea just How afraid, however.
Once at the Dr.’s office we all crammed into a little room with the nurse and her needles. Before she began she pulled out her paperwork and said, “Just to clarify, we’re doing flu shots for ALL three today?” emphasis Not added. She looked at me like I was indeed crazy and when I answered in the affirmative we proceeded. Mr. Pres took one look at those needles and broke into utter hysterics. Kicking, screaming, crying, flailing, etc. THE WORKS. So I stepped in to hold him down. Right at that moment Blue Jeans, who had been crawling around on the floor fell over and hit his head not 1 cm away from the place on his forehead where he’d hit it on Saturday and got a big bruise to match. So picture if you will.. Blue Jeans is now crying-loudly-Mr. Pres is screaming and flailing on the table and Go Go is as usual totally oblivious to all peril and happily and loudly clapping and cooing at the baby to get him to stop crying, all while the nurse is poised with her needle with a look on her face that says, “So what are you going to do now?” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Why Me?
Eventually they brought in the big guns (a really big nurse) to hold Mr. President for the shot. 2 seconds later Mr. Pres says, “Is that all?” IS THAT ALL?! Yes Pres, THAT is all.
All joking aside, (yes, now it is rather funny hours later), I find it interesting how torn I felt during the incident. Sister Hinkley’s saying, “Save the relationship” kept running through my mind as this nurse tried to hold him down and then get me to hold him down. Was this really worth it? Worth the trauma, the tears, the frustration. Should I have just let him be? This was a flu shot after all, it wasn’t a polio vaccine or an MMR which he really does need. So, for all you other mothers out there, what would you have done?
And Blue Jeans decided to find the stairs in our house for the first time today. He is always blocked out by a gate, but it didn’t take him long to notice the gate was gone today! I got to him just before he fell over backwards into my arms. Whew! 
Short n Sweet 
