We had our two month old checkup today, bringing with it our first round of shots.
To all you new-mom-of-twos out there: trust me when I tell you you do not want to take both kids to appointments involving shots. If it just so happens that you make the appointment and then you find out your oldest has spring break from preschool and you think, meh, we can handle it… No. And if you prepare your oldest and they promise they can totally be brave and handle it… No.
So we wait in the waiting room. We wait in the exam room. We wait for the nurse. Then the student doctor. Then the real doctor. And then the nurse again before we even get to the poking. By then my oldest is starving, bored, tired, nervous, restless, and has to pee.
Granted, she is four and that is a long time to wait. But by the time she started whining over and over again about the impending shots for her sister, my patience was gone.
“I’m sorry that this is taking so long and I understand that you feel nervous about being in the room when sister gets shots, but you need to stop getting worked up about this. You are not the one getting the shots. When it is your turn, I will be fully present with you.This appointment is about your sister. We are here to take care of her.”
In other words, “This isn’t about you. I love you and I hear you and right now someone else is my priority.”
Her little sister will teach her this, one of the most important things she has to learn: that it isn’t always about her.
She matters. She is important. She is valued.
And she is not the only one who matters. She is not the only one who is important. She is not the only one who is valued.
It’s a hard lesson to watch a child learn, even when you know in your heart they will be better for it. I’m grateful they have each other to learn from.