Poison control

The idea for this post came from my Mom.

Moms always have the best ideas.

Or at least my Mom does anyway.

If you're a parent chances are you've had moments of,

"Should I call poison control?"

I've had these moments more times than I wish were so.

I am not pushing poison into the hands of my children, but they find them anyway.

They find the sweet smelling hand sanitizer.

They discover the tube of sunscreen.

They grab a handful of laundry detergent.

And for reasons I can't understand they put them in their mouths.

It takes all kinds of techniques to just get them to eat their dinner, but they don't hesitate to gobble down dirt, bugs, floor crumbs or whatever is under the kitchen sink.

Of course a child's mind works much differently than an adults.

That much has been demonstrated in my previous posts this week.

The first time I called poison control I was in tears, panic and hysteria moments away.

My child had ingested something he was not to ingest.

I did the only thing I could think of.

I called my Mom.

"What should I do!" I sobbed.

My Mother calmly, "Call poison control and then call me back."

I was terrified to call poison control.

What would they think of me.

What would they think of my carelessness.

Would they tell me I was a bad mother?

Would they tell me I shouldn't be one?

The well being of my child won over my fears.

I dialed the number.

I fumbled over the buttons and had to start over.

I listened to the phone as it rang.

"Poison control this is ______ how can I help you?"

"Waaaahaaaahaaa, ble gle diddle he psn de daaaaaaaaaa!" I bawled.

"Excuse me?"

"My son ate something and I think its poison!"

Calmly and comforting the person representing poison control talked to me

asking me a series of questions.

Things like:

What brand is it?

What is listed in the ingredients?

How much might he have eaten?

Etc.

Then with all of the information, I was told my child ought to be fine, that I should keep a close eye on him to be sure he wasn't acting strangely and that they would call me back in a few hours to be sure he was okay.

A couple hours later they called back.

My son was fine.

Each time I called it got easier.

Not the fact that my child had ingested something potentially hazardous, that is never easy,

but being afraid to call was no longer an issue.

The poison control operators are very friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and comforting.

I've always gotten off the phone with a smile on my face knowing my child will be fine.

I no longer hesitate to call worried that they'll think I am a bad mother.

Though, sometimes in the back of my mind I think,

"Well, my child always seems to be fine, I would hate to be a bother to poison control."

Fortunately, I lean toward being overly cautious when it comes to poison.

Because suppose this time my child isn't fine,

suppose this time the substance is extremely hazardous

suppose this time that substance could be fatal......

**To be continued, one last time....