Thursday, September 23, 2010

Feeling the Pain

Isn't it fun to go to the doctor's office with small children?  I mean, what parent doesn't want to experience that particular form of fun that is the waiting room?  That term should tip off most parents immediately.  Waiting + small children = torture.  Yes, the office has toys.  But if your children play with them, they will instantly contract a cold worse than the one they came in with.  And usually we are called in immediately, only to wait in the doctor's room - with no toys - for even longer than we were in the waiting room.  We are now in the 'I am desperate to keep my kids happily occupied' room and we haven't even seen the doctor yet.  I am usually well-prepared.  I have snacks, water, toys, and colouring books.  But the kids don't want to use them.  They want to jump off the exam table and figure out how to take the stirrups off.  They want to root through the garbage can and tip over the jar of Popsicle sticks (perhaps they're called something else but I'm a parent - to me they are popsicle sticks).  My kids can't wait for their toast to pop up - how can they wait for an hour and a half?  I don't know where they get their impatience from, either.  Are we still talking about this?  Let's move on already!

The other day I was trying to arrange a doctor's appointment for a time when I would only have two children with me as opposed to three children.  The receptionist was giving me a hard time about my negotiations, stating I should just be happy to get any time the doctor has available.  I wanted to say, "Listen to me very closely.  This is not only for my benefit.  If I have to bring three children to this appointment, trust me: you, me, the other people waiting, the doctor and the nurse - we will ALL be feeling the pain!"

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