As a Canadian we celebrated Thanksgiving back in October. And yet, by complete coincidence as my USA friends are celebrating Thanksgiving today, I also need to focus on the theme of thankfulness.
You see a few days ago my nephew was rushed to the hospital. He’s still in the hospital and we do not know when he’ll get to come home. What we do know is that he will be okay, although he is likely facing a lifelong diagnosis that will very likely impact his overall quality of life. I will not go into details here as he’s not my child, but I will say that it’s clear this is a heartbreaking situation.
I cannot even begin to imagine the fear this little boy is experiencing. And, his parents fears, I have to say my heart goes out to them. And, his sibling’s world has been completely thrown off kilter as he is old enough to understand what’s going on, was there as the EMS revive his brother and loaded him into the ambulance.
And, while somewhat removed from it, it’s also heartbreaking for Mr. MPB and I. He is our nephew, whom we love so very much. I’ve been brought to tears more times in the last few days then I would have imagined prior to having a child of my own. As a parent, I now have a much deeper appreciation for this worry. I cannot help but picture Little MPB being the one in the hospital bed and us facing all these unknowns, while only wanting to protect our son. This is the type of situation that keeps parents awake at night, consumed by worry.
Even now that the critical emergency is over, everyone is still filled with worry. And, I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this is for the parents as I don’t think this is just a single moment in time worry. For them, I assume it’s going to be lifelong. Yes, their child will live, and has every opportunity to live a long and full life. But, their child will also be different and I think everyone worries about what different really means. And, I am confident in saying that no parent ever wants to see their child face additional hurdles in life.
I feel as though I’ve been a complete emotional basket case for the last few days. I don’t have the answers, no-one does, yet I so desperately want to have the answers. I want to make everything better. And yet I know that these worries are just part of being a parent, and I assume this worry is extra difficult for parents who know their child is facing a potential lifelong illness.
But, while I don’t have the answers, I do know that I have been hugging Little MPB even tighter these last few days (which on a lighter note, could explain why I’m sick with a cold…again). And, I am beyond thankful that we just keep facing daycare germs and nothing more serious.
I am thankful that I get to hug my little boy every single day.
Not a moment goes by where I’m not thankful for all the blessings we have.
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Little MPB is a rather relaxed and chill kid. He wakes up happy 99% of the time. He is fully of smiles and giggles. Truthfully he’s rarely grouchy.
In fact, daycare has nicknamed him Mr. Mellow. And his grandparents joke that he is so relaxed simply because the world decided that someone needed to teach Mr. MPB and I how to actually relax and slow down.
Anyways, something has happened to Little MPB. For the last few weeks he’s been some sort of grouchy, demanding, crazy child. He has mastered to word no. In fact when he doesn’t wake up saying Marshall, Marshall, Marshall he wakes up saying No, No, No. We had assumed he was just a bit off from battling illness after illness and not sleeping quite as well as he’s used to.
But, then last night happened.
Last night, Little MPB cried when we came home from daycare. He cried when he was playing with his favourite toys. He screamed when I came into the room (cue broken mommy heart). He threw his body onto the floor screaming when we wouldn’t turn on the TV to watch Paw Patrol. He cried alligator sized tears and shouted No, No, No when we tried to eat dinner. Between sobs, he masterfully threw his dinner everywhere, one piece at a time (eventually we ‘compromised’ and he ate his 5th straight meal of pancakes while playing). He cried when we got to the end of this favourite book, and only stopped when we flipped back a few pages and started over. Changing his diaper resulted in a complete meltdown. He also mastered hitting, which meant I was essentially beat up by a toddler.
Basically he cried, screamed, hit and sobbed all evening long.
Seriously, every 2 minutes he had a complete breakdown over the most mundane things.
Mr. MPB and I are wondering if we are seeing our first real dose of the terrible twos?
Parenting tips to help Little MPB (and Mr. MPB and I) through this are very much appreciated!
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My Perfect Breakdown 