Check up and Check out! - Annual Doctor visits with the kids
It's that time of the year AGAIN… the dreaded Annual Doctor Visits for the Kids. Four of my five kids are born in December and January, and Joshua in June... Yeah, I made Joshua go six months without getting his annual visit for my convenience. Originally, I had scheduled to take all five of them at together, but as life does what it do, a few unexpected events made it impossible to stick to the plan. First, a last-minute 2nd unit production came up that I accepted. Overnight shoots really throw things off, Dad’s work location was switched, and then, to top it all off, my 12-year-old's basketball team made the playoffs. Let's keep it real, I’m rooting for him and his teammates, but at the same time, I can’t lie I’m looking for the crazy practice and game schedule to be over.
So, yeah, with all that going on, I showed up with 2 out of 5 kids (TimTim 11, and Joshee 8) and hoped they would waive the no-show charge, which she did (good looking out for reals)! Nope, I didn't get to prepare a list of concerns. My cousin Claudia and I talked about how we should let the kids speak for themselves at doctor's appointments and the visits are teaching moments. Now that we are here I don’t know if that's, umm well practical.
We are in the physical room, the process started as usual. The clinical assistant began with the routine intake questions, "Are there any concerns? Is he eating his fruits and vegetables?" But I didn't answer. Instead, I turned to Tim and nudged him to respond. At first, he was hesitant, a little out of his depth, and yeah, they read those questions pretty fast. And as a busy mom, getting in and out is the goal, so I never slow them down. I mean, on their end I get it... they have a lot of patients and have to read the same repetitive questions... but Tim started to open up when asked about his water intake and mentioned his incoming sore throat.
The clinical assistant started to rush even as Tim was answering, and yeah, I was secretly dying inside since I was prolonging this visit by letting him answer the questions. But after all, they only happen once a year and I need to teach him to make the most of them. We all need to slow down. I reminded Tim about his incident a few days ago when he had jumped off the swings at the playground and landed badly on his foot. Yeah, that was a few hours before the overnight shoot I mentioned earlier. I iced it, Dad monitored it I hoped it didn’t get worse and have to go to the ER. Recalling the event and other moments throughout the year seemed to light up his face. He is a soft talker but in his way, he was eager to engage more. He was detailing how he felt and what he was worried about.
Joshua, listening to his brother, started to chime in too. He wasn’t thrilled about vaccinations and even brought up his recent bout with recurring stomach pain. It was fascinating to see them take charge of their health discussions, growing a little more confident with each question they asked and even correcting them.
The day kicked off with its usual chaos, but the shift in dynamics at the doctor's office turned into a win. My kids opened up and got to experience their voices matter, no matter where they are. They are learning the importance of paying attention to their bodies and articulating their needs. This is a lesson I hope sticks with them well beyond today's doctor's visit. Stay locked in, I've still got the other three to wrangle for their check-ups next week, and yeah, I've stacked on vision and dentist visits on the same day!
