THE FLU SHOT EXPERIENCE...

I just wanted y’all to know that you REALLY haven’t lived until you’ve accompanied me on a trip to the doctor’s office for flu shots! I was being “the good mother” today & gave everyone a dose of Motrin before we left the house for the doctor’s office. When we got to the doctor’s office, I decided to take one for the team and be the first one to get the shot. I asked if anyone wanted to watch, so they would know what to expect. No one did. It didn’t hurt much.

Emmy was next and she howled like a werewolf as the medicine started going into her arm, but was quickly soothed when the nurse asked her if she’d like to pick out a sucker (which later ended up getting stuck in her hair).

Chloe went next and freaked out a little before the actual shot. The kid endures 3 ½ hour workouts at the gym and she was spooked by a needle the size of a pen tip. Go figure. When Emmy saw what the nurse was doing, she started screaming, “Don’t hurt my sissy! Don’t hurt my Chloe girl!” at the top of her lungs. More crying ensued. Chloe got a sucker and seemed better. She is a very stoic kid.

Then it was Ross’ turn. He was being tested for strep, so we had to wait for the results before they could administer his shot (negative – thank you, Jesus!). The nurse came back into the room, and I sent the girls to the waiting room in the hopes of avoiding a complete family meltdown. Ross, who was sitting on the table in a very relaxed manner, hopped down and “hid” behind the table. The nurse asked him to sit back down, and he did – in a chair – with a death grip on the handles. I told him to get back up on the table. He started crying and telling me that we needed to discuss this, that he wanted to know how many CONFIRMED cases of flu there were last year and why it was necessary to get the shot (this is his tactic EVERY year, and it hasn’t worked yet. Maybe one of these days he’ll figure that out.)

About that time, the receptionist walked in. She is an older, grandmotherly woman. She said, “Ross, come sit on my lap for a minute and tell me what the problem is. You don’t want the shot? Why not?” Ross immediately walked over to her and sat down in her lap. She grabbed him in a nice football hold and said to the nurse, “DO IT!”, and she did. Before Ross knew what happened, the shot was over. He got schooled by a granny! I KNEW I loved her!

Now, I am just praying that he vaccine works and we don’t get some random strand of the flu. If we do, I will be out of luck with Ross next year!