Happy Birthday to my TEENAGER!!

Today I have a teenager. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?? How does he keep aging and I don’t? Don’t answer that. I have been reflecting the last few days over this new frontier we are entering. A friend commented to me “now we are the older parents. The ones we couldn’t imagine being when our kids were toddlers.” Really??? That’s me now?

Mason turns 13 today. We (he) have been been counting down for quite some time although I made him take a break for Mother’s Day. He doesn’t get every day. Here we are. 13. I feel so many things...for him and for me….excited, anxious, wistful, tired and LIKE MY HEAD MIGHT EXPLODE.

I wouldn’t go back. I didn’t rock the infant/toddler years. I never had enough patience, sleep or coffee. Well, I probably had enough coffee but it didn’t compensate for all that I lacked. Mason wasn’t the easiest baby. Come to think of it...the baby he was ended up being quite indicative of the teenager he has become. He didn’t sleep, was intense, demanding, energetic and expressive. He seemed to always be taking everything in - kind of like a continual sensory overload.

He has taught me so much in 13 years. Coming from a household of two girls I didn’t know much about boys - like how they must run EVERYWHERE, how there isn’t a lot of thought before speaking, how they start talking incessantly about girls at 12.5 years old and how aim is very important.

I also have learned a lot about myself. I see traits of mine in Mason - both good and bad. I have had to own up to my own anxiety and type A personality. Mason is more like a AAA and Michael won’t claim any of it. I only claim one A. We also share a distaste for sleeping in and sitting still unless it is in the name of a good book. We love roller coasters, carbohydrates and all things Disney.

If it weren’t for Mason I wouldn’t have learned all the names of various construction equipment or Thomas the Train characters. I would never have taken golf lessons  or known the difference between a birdie or an eagle. I may not have tuned into the Masters or the NFL Draft.

I am proud of who he is at 13. He is a great brother to Audrey. He has a good group of kids he hangs around with. He pushes himself academically - even if he can’t find most of his homework when it is complete.He still lets me read to him at night and he will still tell me he loves me. He has a long road ahead - all of the neuron connections have definitely not been made. But I am proud of where he has been and where he is going. He has a lot to figure out - like that the day doesn’t have to start at 5:30 a.m. or that we don’t all need to cater to his needs and schedule- but heck,I have a lot to figure out still too. Like how to effectively parent a teenager. How uninteresting if we were perfect.

So Happy, Happy Birthday to my smart, witty, fun-loving Mason. I love you to the moon and back.

 

 

Hug a Nurse

Today I attended a meeting that reminded me why I love nurses. I am one of the chairs of a committee that meets to try to improve upon and better our practice which ideally results in improved patient care. To be honest, I am not always glad that I am in charge of a committee. It can be frustrating, involves conflict and takes time. Being conflict adverse and constantly struggling with work/family balance, I have been known to gripe about it a time or two. But, today, sitting around a table listening to nurses and CNA’s talk about various ideas and proposals, I was struck by how fortunate I am to be part of such a great group of people. The underlying theme with all of the concerns and suggestions, is providing a better, safer experience for the patient. The group I was with today wasn’t complaining about the long hours or the work itself, they were expressing concern for their patients. Some of the attendees had just finished a 12-hour night shift and there they were, staying extra hours to try to improve care for others. How awesome is that?

Nurses Day was last week. As usual, I am a little behind. But, I just wanted to take this opportunity to share why I love this group that I have the privilege to work alongside.

• If you yell for help, several people were run toward you instead of away from you.

• Nurses can talk about ANYTHING over lunch. Nobody starts looking green or asks you to stop. I forget this sometimes when I come home until I see the look on Michael’s face. I guess not everyone likes to discuss wound care with dinner?

• There is always someone who knows a better way to do everything. Nurses and CNA’s are a resourceful bunch. Just last week a CNA showed me how I could use a vomit bag to cover up an iv line so it wouldn’t get wet in the shower. It was brilliant.

• Nurses will take time to talk to the patient. On my floor we each often have 4-5 patients to care for at one time. It can be really busy. I love it when I walk by a room and see a nurse sitting and talking to a patient. I tend to be overly focused and sometimes forget that one patient might just need a few extra minutes to talk more than they need a Tylenol.

• They are funny. I laugh more since working as a nurse than any of my previous careers. I think you have to have a sense of humor or it would be easy to become disheartened by all the chronic illnesses and unfortunate circumstances that we see.
  
• They are skilled! I am in the right place if my heart ever goes out. I have no doubt someone will be performing chest compressions on me and probably cracking a rib within seconds.

• I know they have my back. It’s a team and I know if something ever goes awry, they will support me.

So, Happy Belated Nurses Day. I would say hug a nurse but you wouldn’t believe the germs that we are exposed to. Buy them a coffee instead.