Appreciate The Healthy Kids In Your Life

My son recently underwent a minor procedure to correct a hydroseal. It’s a 45 minute out-patient procedure and I don’t know all the risks and probabilities. It’s a 1-inch incision with 24 hours of down time, so I have to assume it is one of the safest surgeries going. Certainly a shoutout to CHOP doctors and nurses is deserved, as they at the very least made this surgery one of the safest and ensured a positive outcome.

Even now, seeing this makes me want to cry just a bit.

Rand rests.

I take a bit of pride in being a relaxed and laid back parent who knows the probabilities and risks; what I need to worry about and what I can safely ignore. But watching my little boy rest in an anesthesia-induced sleep, laying in that big bed with a tube in his mouth; it was nerve-wracking.

He took his merry time waking up. The nurse assured us some children wake right up and others take their time. Its all about how tired the child is and how they react to anesthesia. And honestly there was no rush, except that I wanted him awake and moving NOW.

Because until he woke up … well, this wasn’t officially over – even though it was – until he woke up. I guess in my head there was always a fear that he simply wouldn’t wake up. I’m a NICU Dad, so I’m familiar with the beeping device monitoring his PulseOx and heart rate, but a part of me still held my breath, waiting for one of those indicators to head south.

Silly, I know.

It also got me thinking how incredibly lucky I am. He was undergoing a hydroseal surgery so routine – the third in a row for this doctor on this day –it pretty much defines routine.

Not everyone is so lucky. I sat waiting for Rand not knowing how parents with genuinely sick kids do it. The lead up, the surgery, the waiting in recovery, the loooong wait to see if the surgery was a success.

Our friends’ little boy suffered from a liver disease that required not one but two major surgeries over the course of a year, including a transplant from Mom to babe. Those surgeries required two recovery periods – three if you include Mom’s recovery - where they just waited to see if the surgery would be successful with each successive recovery period more critical to the child’s survival. And that is nothing like what parents of kids with cancer go through, I imagine.

How do you go back to work the next day after your son has had major surgery that could decide whether he lives or dies? How do you concentrate on anything? How do you not just wish the next week or month or many months away so that you can know the outcome? Or do you dread every minute, knowing that it might be one more minute towards the final tick when nothing can be done?

I just don’t know how you do it and keep your life together.

So this is a hat tip to all those parents with sick kids. Keep fighting the good fight and I hope all turns out well. And for those of us with healthy kids, be thankful for them.

Is Mocking Redheads Bullying? If Not, What Is?

Its Super Bowl time, and since my team didn't make it, I haven't been paying very close attention. But I got to talking with Aaron Gouveia on Twitter after I noticed one of his tweets about how a redhead would never QB a team to said Super Bowl. Essentially, Aaron was mocking redheads. My team doesn't have a redheaded QB, so we are safe (for now!), but I mentioned to him that this might fall under the term of bullying. Aaron, in case you don't know, is rightfully well known in the Daddy-bloggersphere for his excellent Daddy Files blog. Seriously, go read it now, and follow @DaddyFiles on Twitter. And before I really get going on this rant, let me say: I get it. Even as great as Gouveia is, he probably can't hold candle to the prestige, money and social status of a Pro-Bowl NFL player like Andy Dalton. Andy Dalton could never do another thing in the NFL and probably still have more name recognition, money and power than Gouveia ever will. This isn't e

NIGHTMARE: Three Kids; One Invite

Its a triplet parents worst nightmare, really. I only have triplets, so most of what I;m about to say about singletons is conjecture and assumption, but here goes: I imagine that when you have three kids of different ages its easy when only one of them is invited to a birthday party. Any younger child is probably interested in where an older sibling is going, but is easily refocused. Older children probably just don't care what a younger child is doing, but to the extent they are invested, I'd think its easy to explain to them. After all, they are probably in different schools, or at least different grades. They have different teachers, different classmates, and while they may share some friends, those are largely different as well. Not so with triplets When you have three kids all the same age they attend the same school; often in the same class (as ours do). So when only one of them receives an invite, as our daughter did, its hard not to feel slighted. After all, t

My Kids Believe Some Wild Things

First off, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It is the holiday season, so this is going to be a quick and fun post. If you want something more serious, you can look my struggles with my daughter's self esteem here , my blah attitude about the death of cursive here , and why I'm a very bad person here . All kids believe in some clearly wild ideas. Santa. The tooth fairy. Heck, some parents believe vaccines cause disease, so its hard to blame the kids. But mine might be taking it to new levels. For instance, my one son will repeatedly tell me how I'm the best Dad he knows. Its sweet. And gosh, its hard to deny. But I'm also pretty much the only Dad he knows. I guess his other point of reference is the Dad from Peppa Pig. Have you seen that guy? He's a half shaven, rotound pig with the manners you might expect of such a guy. Its a bit surprising he isn't usually adorned with a can of beer in his hand and food stains on his clothing. This suddenly sounds li

AnonymousNovember 26, 2014 at 9:25 PM
As a mature adult with grown kids I can tell you that fear and worry never goes away. Even when they are grown and have their own children. My children are always on my mind, that they are OK and doing well. Yours will be for you as well. You are being a wonderful parent. Thanks for the healthy children and God bless those who are not.
UnknownJanuary 21, 2015 at 1:57 PM
It sounds like your grown kids turned out OK. I'm glad. Thanks for reading and yep, say thanks for the healthy kids and bless those who are struggling with some sort of sickness.

Triple The Dad

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