After a tense, ardous 20-minute battle, victory was ours. Mine and Chrissie's, I mean.
Nicky was given three plastic medicine bottles. One for stomach wind, one for diarrhea and one for anti-biotics. And he had to take rehydration salts (something I've never taken back from the doc for the first 20 years of my life but is now disseminated so often you'd think they were serviettes).
Needless to say, my son doesn't gulp down medicine the way he does Coke or Cheezels. He fights, fusses and spits out the stuff. He's the kinda guy you wish could be cured by faith-healing alone.
So, no more Mr. Nice Dad. I'm MacArthur at Pusan. I'm Montgomery at El-Alamein. Out comes the chicken-feather cane. I wonder if my neighbours heard the whap-whap! of war. They sure as hell heard the screaming.
Take that 4ml of orange liquid or stand in the dark the rest of the night. Decide.
I must be cruel to be kind,
Thus bad begins and worse remains behind...
Cry cry cry. Like a Jewish tragedy. Me and Chrissie played dumb (she gets back to her reading, me to my ice-cold Ribena).
Cry cry cry. Like JFK's been shot all over again. I start chatting with Chrissie about how maybe I need some rehydration.
Cry cry cry. Like I care.
And then...after about twenty minutes...he walks out. I raise an eyebrow, grab the spoon with the medicine, pass it to him - he drinks the stuff! And almost chokes on it(!) but we let him have some water and within two minutes it's all over. It's inside, washed down with salty water.
Brush your teeth. Change your clothes. Go to bed.
Tomorrow's another battle.
Posted at 10:08 pm by alwynlau
 | | |
z
March 20, 2007 01:08 AM PDT
everything's a learning process! :) let's just say you don't have an easy job, and i know of really great parents who use the cane when their kids are between 2-4 because kids at that age just aren't very capable of reasoning. well, everyone has a different opinion!
:) :) rooting for you and chrissie!! :P
|
|
| | |
lim siok lin
March 15, 2007 03:59 PM PDT
Homepage - is that email address, nah! Correct me if I'm wrong!
Well , I was going to congratulate you into the ranks of "real parents" 4 having NOT given in and compromising to your son's demands. As a child psychologist may say - by showing no compromising behaviour towards your son's tantrum outburst you have taught him that he must listen to both mum and dad and do what is deemed good for him. Congratulations again. ........... another parent succumbs to violence and threats to beat his child into submission. While his mum looks on and condones this savage act. Another broken and resentful child is borne!!!!!
However,........... consider this...next time you seek to reach for the cane............think of what message you are giving your beloved son........ its ok to beat the other weaker person into submission in order to get your own way, it doesn't matter if its for his own good or not. Its reinforcing the ' I win and you definitely lose' concept. As adults , we know this isn't the correct way , to build up a person (adult / child) we should seek the ' Win win ' concept we all win.
Another solution (from a maiden aunt) regarding your predicament may be: explain to your son why he must take the medicine and after he's taken it let him have a sip of your Ribena. (of course preferably a lukewarm / room temperature drink). In this situation, both sides win. Parents ensure child takes his medicine and child knows he has done right with mum & dad and is given a little present for doing the right thing. People may say - "ah your spoiling your kid by sparing the rod" but are you really spoiling the kid? NO! your training your child about life from a young age about compromise, decision making , justice aswell as bulky up his EQ.
Naturally, please do disregard the above if you want to, its just a suggestion from a maiden aunt.
Best wishes,
Limmy |
|
| | |
Alwyn
March 15, 2007 10:16 AM PDT
the next day the more diplomatic solution worked (surprisingly): i put the medicine in his milk and he took it all down without a fuss. |
|
| | |
Derek L.
March 14, 2007 06:51 PM PDT
Congrats. You live to fight another day. :) |
|
