Last night, E wouldn't settle down for bed time. We had been to a birthday party and thought she was just revved from all that sugar. So we practiced tough love. First we made sure her diaper was dry and that the room temperature was comfortable. Then we ignored her while she screamed and pounded on the door. This went on for some time. We congratulated ourselves for setting boundaries and for not caving to a two-year-old's whims. She woke several hours later and was hard to soothe. Tough love again. More screaming. Once again, we traded self-congratulatory comments across the pillow.
This morning, J noticed that E's hair was matted and that her ear was oozing a bit. She has tubes, and some drainage is normal with a cold, so we weren't alarmed.
Then, during her afternoon nap, both ears exploded. Pus. Blood. Ooze. She has a double ear infection. This is quite a feat considering the tubes. It must have been hurting badly last night, but we were so focused on the sugar she consumed that other possibilities didn't occur to us. So she suffered longer than necessary.
Tonight, she is more comfortable. The antibiotic drops are doing their thing, and the ibuprofen is helping with the pain. She went to bed without complaint.
This parenting thing is tricky business. I think we get a lot right, but when we goof, we really goof. This time, we erred by assuming that she would be able to alert us to something serious. Last night when we asked her what was wrong, she asked for her books, she requested water, and she cried to be let out of her room. She never said a word about her ear. We should have known that her communication skills aren't yet sufficient to express what is wrong. She can sing the "happy birthday cake" song, but she can't say that her ear hurts like a bitch. She screams and we try to interpret. Last night, we got it wrong. Very wrong.
I wonder what therapy she is going to need later in life. Because of us.
Up up and away
11 years ago
5 comments:
Em~
WoW Poor E!! I hope she gets better soon.
Try not to be too hard on yourself~ it truly is hard to know what is going on sometimes with a toddler. I often sit in amazement that my little one has made it this far~ in pretty good shape~ with me as a parent. LOL.. I often feel very inadequate as a parent~ as I think we all do.
Hope the ear clears up and all is better soon.
BTW~ I am so glad you are blogging more often~ I don't always comment, but I LOVE your stories!!
Monica
Oh poor thing I hope she's okay. That sounds really painful.
I like the new blog look. I also like that you're blogging more. I started my blog when Little S was three months old and it's great to read back over it and see all the changes. It's like a wonderful diary that I never would have kept otherwise.
Thanks, Monnie and Chris. She seems much improved and doesn't seem to be holding a grudge.
I had fun playing with the template for the blog, Chris! I'm glad you like it.
Poor little lady! That is the exact reason I hesitate to let DD cry in the night, I always fear that I will walk in and there will be some sort of mess be it from vomit or ear issues. However if my situation were as stated I'd probably have let her cry out some too! How the heck are we supposed to know???
Good to see she is feeling better.
I LOVE your new blog page! Looks great!
Hi! I found your blog through misschrisc. Thanks for sharing your story. We are constantly trying to figure out this parenting thing over here which usually means second guessing everything we do. Your story is really honest and I appreciate it. If there is anything that I have learned in the last 11 months is that my little guy is constantly changing and I can't rely on anything! Argh!
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