shirarocklin

Hi,

I haven't posted in a long while, just reading occasionally and being swamped by life. But I just read the last digest in my inbox and it made me think about something that's been going on here recently that I didn't realize I have unschooling and this list to thank for.

My son got a spider bite at my mother-in-law's house in Connecticut one night. We went to the doctor in the morning and it was infected and she prescribed antibiotics. They only had liquid for his dosage.

Anyhow, he isn't so into taking it. We started out buying a big bag of lollipops to entice him. We've had ice cream around. We've talked about buying a Chuggington train when he's finished the whole course. And all those things have been helpful, not so much that he is convinced to take the medication because of these gifts, but because they give us more to talk about while we discuss taking the medication. He runs around a lot, talks about chuggington, decides what flavor lollipop, etc... while I talk about how without medicine his booboo could get worse again, and he might need a hospital, and maybe other kinds of less pleasant medicine. Ok, that's not that part I wanted to share.

What I wanted to share is how I've taken time to cuddle him, talk to him honestly about this, but gently and softly, and mostly just waited patiently holding a measuring spoon and a cup of water, until he's softened up a bit on it. And in his own time (which is much more time than a parent typically is willing to wait), he'll agree to try a taste. And then I 'check his booboo' and note how its still a bit red and maybe more medicine will help, and so on and so forth, until the whole spoon is down. He's 4 years old, by the way.

One morning, I wasn't so patient, and it was the second dose, and I was caught up by fear that he just wasn't going to take it, and we ended up with daddy holding him while I forced him to take it. It felt so awful doing it. It was after that I found my patience and gentleness with this, and giving him this medicine has become nothing painful.

Its nice to see the process of how a 4 year old, not quite logical or linear thinking person, works through the process of taking a yucky medicine. I had fear that he'd just always say no, and reject it, and it seemed that way on the surface of what he was expressing verbally. But really he just works through it each time, starting with not wanting it, and slowly coming to terms with it, and at the end gulps down whatever is left on the spoon. And I am just amazed at how he thinks and processes and ends up with his decisions, as its so completely different from an adult. I love that I have the knowledge and opportunity and patience and time to allow my 4 year old to process for as long as he needs to be able to take a yucky medicine, and that there isn't any power struggle over it.

Thanks to unschooling and all the voices on this list. I can't or haven't mastered every aspect of this in our lives. There are some areas that, for our family to stay a family, have had to supercede unschooling. But where it is, it is wonderful. A wonderful gift.

Shira

Gwen Montoya

Have you tried putting the medicine in a drink for him - juice (probably something strongly flavored) or soda?

When one of my girls needed to take liquid medicine at that age (and younger) - putting the medicine in a cup with a covered lid & straw was very helpful (the straw was fun & the covered lid helped cover the smell of the medicine).

We also had sipping contests (her from her cup & me from mine) - who could do it the fastest or take the most sips.

Or she'd take a sip and we'd do something silly like spin around or do a goofy dance (sort of like sipping was a remote control).






On Aug 6, 2013, at 9:34 PM, "shirarocklin" <shirarocklin@...> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I haven't posted in a long while, just reading occasionally and being swamped by life. But I just read the last digest in my inbox and it made me think about something that's been going on here recently that I didn't realize I have unschooling and this list to thank for.
>
> My son got a spider bite at my mother-in-law's house in Connecticut one night. We went to the doctor in the morning and it was infected and she prescribed antibiotics. They only had liquid for his dosage.
>
> Anyhow, he isn't so into taking it. We started out buying a big bag of lollipops to entice him. We've had ice cream around. We've talked about buying a Chuggington train when he's finished the whole course. And all those things have been helpful, not so much that he is convinced to take the medication because of these gifts, but because they give us more to talk about while we discuss taking the medication. He runs around a lot, talks about chuggington, decides what flavor lollipop, etc... while I talk about how without medicine his booboo could get worse again, and he might need a hospital, and maybe other kinds of less pleasant medicine. Ok, that's not that part I wanted to share.
>
> What I wanted to share is how I've taken time to cuddle him, talk to him honestly about this, but gently and softly, and mostly just waited patiently holding a measuring spoon and a cup of water, until he's softened up a bit on it. And in his own time (which is much more time than a parent typically is willing to wait), he'll agree to try a taste. And then I 'check his booboo' and note how its still a bit red and maybe more medicine will help, and so on and so forth, until the whole spoon is down. He's 4 years old, by the way.
>
> One morning, I wasn't so patient, and it was the second dose, and I was caught up by fear that he just wasn't going to take it, and we ended up with daddy holding him while I forced him to take it. It felt so awful doing it. It was after that I found my patience and gentleness with this, and giving him this medicine has become nothing painful.
>
> Its nice to see the process of how a 4 year old, not quite logical or linear thinking person, works through the process of taking a yucky medicine. I had fear that he'd just always say no, and reject it, and it seemed that way on the surface of what he was expressing verbally. But really he just works through it each time, starting with not wanting it, and slowly coming to terms with it, and at the end gulps down whatever is left on the spoon. And I am just amazed at how he thinks and processes and ends up with his decisions, as its so completely different from an adult. I love that I have the knowledge and opportunity and patience and time to allow my 4 year old to process for as long as he needs to be able to take a yucky medicine, and that there isn't any power struggle over it.
>
> Thanks to unschooling and all the voices on this list. I can't or haven't mastered every aspect of this in our lives. There are some areas that, for our family to stay a family, have had to supercede unschooling. But where it is, it is wonderful. A wonderful gift.
>
> Shira
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Brynna Rafferty-Brown

We had a similar experience when our one and a half year old cut open the
top of her finger. She was on pain killers, antibiotics and some
homeopathics for a few days. The pain killers and antibiotics were sweet,
but she didn't like them until we mixed them with chamomile tea (which also
seemed to help her calm down, something in the meds seemed to made her
hyper). She still wasn't crazy about them, but would gradually drink them
from a spoon over the next 15 minutes or so - trying to convince her to
drink it all down straight away wasn't going to work!

What was really interesting for me was that she loved the homeopathics
which she had every hour or so. She would get excited and actively try to
open the container herself. The experience reminded me of what Sandra and
others have written about food - that, (paraphrased!) left to themselves,
children will generally choose whatever food is best suited to their bodies
at that point in time. I wondered at the time, and still do wonder if there
might have been some of that in our daughter's response to the medications.
i.e. preferring not to have the antiobiotics (designed to kill off bad
things, but also kill off a few good things as a side effect) vs the
homeopathics (designed to support and work with the body's natural defences
to help healing and fight off infection).

I'd be really interested to know if anyone else has had a similar
experience with children instinctively preferring some medications over
others?

--
Lombok Kids www.iced.org.au/lombok-kids


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Meredith

Brynna Rafferty-Brown <braff16@...> wrote:
>> What was really interesting for me was that she loved the homeopathics
> which she had every hour or so.

All the homeopathic pills I've taken have had a sweet taste - so it could have been something as simple as that.

>>I wondered at the time, and still do wonder if there
> might have been some of that in our daughter's response to the medications.
> i.e. preferring not to have the antiobiotics (designed to kill off bad
> things, but also kill off a few good things as a side effect) vs the
> homeopathics (designed to support and work with the body's natural defences
> to help healing and fight off infection).
***************

That could be a good example of how natural instincts aren't always one's best guide! Happily, kids aren't working solely on instinct, either - at least not by the time they're toddlers. They are able to do some thoughtful problem solving, even if it doesn't always happen in ways that are convenient to adults - like needing to take a long time to take a medicine.

---Meredith

catherinemforest

Yes, I had that experience with my daughters. One has childhood epileptic absences and she was clear she did not want to take the medication. We went to see different natural therapists and they suggested homeopathic remedies, Bach flower essences, oils and supplements. We went to buy them together and she tried them and decided which ones felt good and which ones did not. After a while, she would say she was done with this one and this other one... Fascinating!

He twin sister took some supplements, homeopathic remedies and Bach flower essences last year too for other reasons. At one point she said: I don't need this one anymore and she stopped it, kept taking some others and still take the Bach flowers when she feels she needs them (she keeps them in a pouch under her pillow).

Our children know. We simply need to trust them and be there to support their inner knowledge. My girls are showing me this every single day.

Catherine

--- In [email protected], "Meredith" <plaidpanties666@...> wrote:
>
> Brynna Rafferty-Brown <braff16@> wrote:
> >> What was really interesting for me was that she loved the homeopathics
> > which she had every hour or so.
>
> All the homeopathic pills I've taken have had a sweet taste - so it could have been something as simple as that.
>
> >>I wondered at the time, and still do wonder if there
> > might have been some of that in our daughter's response to the medications.
> > i.e. preferring not to have the antiobiotics (designed to kill off bad
> > things, but also kill off a few good things as a side effect) vs the
> > homeopathics (designed to support and work with the body's natural defences
> > to help healing and fight off infection).
> ***************
>
> That could be a good example of how natural instincts aren't always one's best guide! Happily, kids aren't working solely on instinct, either - at least not by the time they're toddlers. They are able to do some thoughtful problem solving, even if it doesn't always happen in ways that are convenient to adults - like needing to take a long time to take a medicine.
>
> ---Meredith
>

Jamie Maltman

My sons (4 and 1.5) love taking "special balls" (homeopathic arnica) for
bangs and bumps, and the placebo effect of that upcoming nice experience is
often enough to break through the initial pain and shock and settle them
down.

And they love their gummy vitamins so much that they run downstairs
competing to be first to take them every morning. Then they ask for more.
And try to bargain for extra nighttime vitamins.

Amazing what can happen when you make these things fun and exciting rather
than stressful.

Jamie (the Dad)


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