Being a parent, there are things I never thought I’d experience. I certainly never thought I’d get peed on. But I think that’s a right of passage for all parents. There are also certain things I never thought I’d say: “Stop licking your brother!” “Stop throwing yourself down the stairs!” (I promise, we are good parents.) “Your brother is not a bowling ball!” (No really, we are.) “Stop sniffing your sister.” “Luci quite mooning your brothers!” (We’re a classy bunch in the Medina household.)
I have three kids. Its interesting to see how they approach life, because each does so in a different way. My oldest is very contemplative. He always thinks about what he does before he does it. But if he wants to do something, he’ll find a way to do it. It doesn’t always work out the way he hoped, but he puts thought into it first. My daughter will think about it and think about it some more and think about it again and will still be thinking about it next week. Then she may ask for help. My youngest, who constantly keeps us on our toes, puts no thought into it, just does. He’s a Nike ad: Just do it!
Case in point, my daughter was asked to unload the washer into the dryer. Having done it before, she brings a step stool with her since we have a top loading washer. My youngest, who is 6, wanted to help so he went right in without bringing anything. He couldn’t reach all the clothes, so he climbed on the washer. Then he couldn’t reach the clothes at the bottom so he sticks his head in the washer. Makes sense, if at first you don’t succeed, try harder, right? He still couldn’t reach, so he wedges his head between the agitator and the drum. (I kid you not, I could not make this up if I tried.) So my wife sends me this text, while I’m at the office, “I just had to get Silas’ head unstuck from the inside of the washing machine.” Aside from the sheer panic of being stuck, he made it out safely and intact. I also made sure to adjust him when I got home. And we have yet another Silas story to tell. (He once put on a tattoo mustache on his upper lip, just as we were headed out the door to church. Needless to say, he went to church with a mustache tattoo.)
I have three kids. Its interesting to see how they approach life, because each does so in a different way. My oldest is very contemplative. He always thinks about what he does before he does it. But if he wants to do something, he’ll find a way to do it. It doesn’t always work out the way he hoped, but he puts thought into it first. My daughter will think about it and think about it some more and think about it again and will still be thinking about it next week. Then she may ask for help. My youngest, who constantly keeps us on our toes, puts no thought into it, just does. He’s a Nike ad: Just do it!
Case in point, my daughter was asked to unload the washer into the dryer. Having done it before, she brings a step stool with her since we have a top loading washer. My youngest, who is 6, wanted to help so he went right in without bringing anything. He couldn’t reach all the clothes, so he climbed on the washer. Then he couldn’t reach the clothes at the bottom so he sticks his head in the washer. Makes sense, if at first you don’t succeed, try harder, right? He still couldn’t reach, so he wedges his head between the agitator and the drum. (I kid you not, I could not make this up if I tried.) So my wife sends me this text, while I’m at the office, “I just had to get Silas’ head unstuck from the inside of the washing machine.” Aside from the sheer panic of being stuck, he made it out safely and intact. I also made sure to adjust him when I got home. And we have yet another Silas story to tell. (He once put on a tattoo mustache on his upper lip, just as we were headed out the door to church. Needless to say, he went to church with a mustache tattoo.)
I love my kids! I love the various ways that they express themselves and the various ways that they experience the world. Each is so different from the other. As I was thinking about this blog post, this happened to Silas and it reminded me of how different we all are. We all approach things differently. We react and respond differently. I’ve seen it in practice time and time again. No two patients are the same, like snowflakes. Allow your body to do what it was made to do. Allow your body to heal and change at its pace. And don’t be discouraged if its not progressing as quickly as you want. Change takes time. I hope you enjoy this holiday season with your friends and family and revel in the oddities and nuances that make us unique.
In health,
Dr. David
In health,
Dr. David