In parenting we experience so many firsts with our children.
We experience their first smile. First steps. First words. First birthday.
First day of school. First lost tooth. As your child ages, the firsts slow down
a bit. In our current stage, the next first we are preparing ourselves for is
for our oldest child to enter Middle School this fall. Well that's what we thought anyway. We hit
another first which I had thought we would never hit. Piper's first stitches.
This past week has been crazy busy and I was looking forward
to an evening with great friends filled with great food, a whole bunch of
laughs, and just a night to slow down. As I am putting together my mashed
potatoes I'm reminding the girls they needed to do a 10 minute pickup in their
room before we leave. Not even 2 minutes have passed when Piper comes down just
crying. I can feel myself take a deep breath and brace myself to listen with
some sympathy to what I am assuming a fight that has happened between her and
one of her sisters. As I get down to her eye level, I see blood. As I grab a
paper towel I ask her what happened. Apparently little sister has invented the
game of hiding big sisters' boots in the furnace doors and it had been left
open. In Piper fashion, she had been hurrying to her room and didn't see the
door.
As I look at it and consult with an expert friend about
whether or not we need stitches, Piper melts down because she does not want a
shot or stitches. I spent my time trying to reassure her and tell her it
probably will be just butterfly stitches or they will just clean it out as we
head to the ER. We check in and Piper grills the girl at the desk about
butterfly stitches. The girl had never heard of them and sent Piper's anxiety
through the roof. I spent the hour trying to keep Piper calm and keep Riley and
Aubrey entertained. When it became apparent that it was going to be an
extremely long wait, we headed to the walk-in clinic.
There we were seen right away and the medical assistant was knowledgeable
about butterfly stitches which put Piper at ease. Things got interesting when
the doctor came in. As I watched her examine Piper and ask me questions, her
tone and attitude made me feel about 2 inches tall and like the worst mother in
the world. Her no nonsense attitude continued while she answered Piper’s
questions. The situation worsened when she discovered we were declining the
tetanus shot. She bluntly announced stitches were needed and told me someone
would be in to administer the numbing agent. After she left the room, needless to say emotions
where running high. That’s when I felt this sense of peace and grace washed
over me, which cleared my head enough to evaluate the situation around me. I
soothed Piper as we waited for her head to numb.
I started to evaluate the situation. This doctor was
pregnant, it had been an extremely busy afternoon and there were still 3 more
patients to see and their office was closed. To be honest the last thing I
would want to see on a beautiful Friday night is a frazzled mother of three
with one flying high over the anxiety rainbow. I may not have been able to
change her attitude but I could change mine. Her attitude wasn’t about me and I
had a choice on to whether it was going to affect me. As I focused on Piper and
trying to keep the other two in line long enough to get Piper stitched up.
I truly believe God showed up in that room. By me being
willing to see what He was trying to show me and not giving into my insecurities
and emotions, made the situation better. She seemed a little more patient by
the continuous stream of questions Piper had and was understanding and comforting
when Aubrey turned into Casper the ghost and started crying.
6 stitches later and Piper bouncing around excitedly about
having a story to share on Monday, Aubrey’s color starting to return, we leave
the clinic I am reeling over the entire experience. I managed to make it
through the blood, needles, watching my child get stitched up, and a lot of
tears. It was a good reminder that God shows up whether we remember to ask Him
to or not. It is up to us to choose to lean in to His strength and listen to
what He is trying to tell us.
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