From the Mouths of Babes

In my line of work I see an abundance of Old Folk as I like to call them. They are our grandparent’s age, they are mostly pleasant, easy to assess, and appreciative of care. They are our bread and butter, what we know and what we are comfortable with. But every so often we get to care for children. Some of these calls make you want to cry, but some you can’t help but laugh. These are a few that come to mind…

A four-year-old girl is sitting buckled up in her car seat in the back seat of a pretty mangled up car, I walk up and she’s crying. I say in my most happy, nonchalant, don’t be afraid voice, “Hi sweetheart, are you hurt?” She replies, “My body isn’t but I think my feelings are.” An assessment showed that she was indeed just fine, but we took her anyways to get checked out. In the back of the ambulance while admiring our array of life saving equipment she asked if we had Dora Band-Aids – we don’t. I asked her where she would put a Band-Aid if she wasn’t hurt – thinking I might get her to admit to an injury we hadn’t caught. She pointed to her chest and said, “I think my feelings are right about here.” At that moment I would have given anything for a Dora Band-Aid.

As we are putting the seatbelts of our gurney around a larger woman her six-year-old daughter announces, “She doesn’t have a baby in her tummy, even though it looks like she does.”

We are taking a 2-week-old to the hospital because of a respiratory infection when his five-year-old big brother confides in me, “Its okay, you don’t have to bring him back, I don’t like him.”

A nine year old is accidently hit in the head by his friend swinging a bat. He has a pretty good gash which he has his hand plastered over.
Me – Could you move your hand so I can see?
Him – No
Me – Why?
Him – The cut is really deep and if I move my hand my brain might fall out.
Me – I’ll be sure to catch it if it does (I am joking, he is VERY serious)
Him as he’s moving his hand away – Get ready its probably pretty heavy.

Its not always life, death, and drama. When we’re lucky its small, cute, and funny.