The psychology of a band-aid

The other day, I witnessed a child get a very small scratch on her leg and proceed to have a complete and total,all balls to the wall, all systems a go, meltdown, until she got a band-aid. And there wasn't even blood to staunch on this 'major" injury! I stood there in jaw dropping shock.  Not so much due to the ridiculous fit that was had, but rather the fact that this child has been taught to throw one over a tiny scratch. And on top of that, that the mother of said child, validated it by rushing to get a band-aid!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

 I, for one, have never been a fan of Band-aids.  I wasn't one of those kids whose parent's thought a band-aid, could fix anything.   As a matter of fact, we seldom had them in our house. And on the rare occasions that we happened to have a random box floating around, we had better not use one unless we had an appendage falling off or a possible severed artery. And I never thought much of it.  I do believe, though maybe not the intended lesson on my parent's part, that it taught us a couple valuable things about life. One, not to make a big deal over a small scratch. Similar to the old adage, Don't cry over spilled milk. Two, a band-aid is not the cure-all. As a matter of fact, most of the time, it hurts more to pull the darn thing off than the initial "injury" itself! My children will attest to that! They have never been a fan of them! Seriously. When the big ones were little, I would have to ask the nurse who would give them their immunizations, to NOT put the band-aids on afterwards. My kids hated those more than the shots!! (smart kids, I know!) Three, it taught us to be more careful and not do all the stupid stuff we knew we probably shouldn't do. Because we won't go home and get sympathy OR a stinking band-aid.  Finally, a band-aid is a temporary fix. And as we all know, a temporary fix doesn't really help a severed artery or appendage. Don't get me wrong, band-aids do serve many purposes. I have used them to wear ill fitting shoes that happen to be really cute but really uncomfortable. They are good at stopping the blood from getting into the food that I have chopped for dinner, and while doing so, mistook myself for the star of my own cooking show. And on rare occasions, I have used them for tape. Yes, tape. Another thing we never seem to have on hand when we need it. It makes for an interesting looking birthday present, not to mention a great conversation piece! 

So, needless to say, maybe I'm a band-aid martyr. But maybe I was just brought up, to not be such a wimp. So in turn, I have taught my kids to not be wimps, too.  Scratches and scrapes happen. Save the band-aids for the major injuries.


Love, Kindness, Laughter, and Faith
-Meaghan

New Friends

Today at church, there was a new little girl, who happened to also have Down Syndrome, in Grant's Sunday school class.  As soon as I walked into the room crowded with two year olds, my eyes instantly zeroed in on her.  Another member of The Team.  That is what our little family calls other people with DS.  Because it feels like a team. It feels like we are a member of an elite club that not everyone can be a part of. And that's kind of cool.  Anyways..... After service, I went to get Grant and I hung out in the exit of the Sunday school, so I could meet the family of the new little girl.  As soon as we all saw each others children, that elite, top secret, instant bond thing, sprang into action.  It turns out that we live very close to one another and we have the same OT that comes to our house for the kiddos.  What a small, small, world!!  It amazes me what new doors have opened for me and my whole family, just by having been blessed with a child with a little extra chromosome.  We have met so many new friends, had opportunities to experience new, and amazing things, and just become better people, in our elite club, The Team.   Out of all the groups, or cliques, or teams, I've been part of in my life, this one is definitely my favorite.  My membership was instant and will last a lifetime.  And I couldn't be more thankful.  Besides my church, God gave me another place where I finally belong!  How great is that!?

                                                                      Eastland Friends