Just wanted to say goodnight. Its almost midnight in the UK and my bed is calling me! Sweet dreams everyone!

My high and low of this week is I have overtime at work...hi because of extra cash, low because more hours. Next week my hi and low will be getting that big check, then having to pay bills with it!

My low this week was having to take my 13 year old son to buy his school uniform for high school. (The new school year starts 17 January). Not only did we have to buy an entire uniform and sports clothes but also the stationary for him and my daughter, who is going to grade 6. (That was the fun part. I love buying stationary) The high was when it was all over.
It's not that I don't like shopping. It's just that because everyone is buying 'back to school' items, the shops are just as busy as before Christmas.

My high was realizing I dont have to buy 'back to school' anything anymore!

My low was realizing my kids have grown up...

I absolutely 'love' stationary shopping. Best part about the upcoming school year, and as i enter my last year of school, my list is quite a long one.

My high this week: My mum has just announced her wedding date for what is to be her second marriage! So, in October, i shall be parading down the beach in what i hope is a blue dress

As a kind of useless low: The weather. First it's hot, then it's raining, and i hate it when it's humid

Well well, after finding an error or two in my hardback photo book I made a new one and decided to donate the old one to the library. Not only did they accept it but paid me what it cost as well! I now have a colour album of local views in the library local archive department and have offered a custom book with the pictures they want themselves. The media career creeps ahead...

I huge high yesterday. My daughter phoned to tell me that her husband had just received a phone call to tell him that he has got the job he applied for a while back and had been told that he wasn't successful. This didn't surprise him as he had only just passed his 'membership', the set of examinations you need to pass before being able to progress towards the top of the chain, many other applicants were far more experienced than him. I don't know why but now he has been given the post - perhaps the other person pulled out.

This is fantastic news. He is a 'junior doctor' in paediatrics and this is a five year training post so tremendous news, those posts are few and far between. This one is at his training hospital and near to their home. When you are a junior doctor in England you sometimes (often) have to move about the country for new jobs. You only get a contract for a short period of time, it could be six months, a year or perhaps a couple of years. After his pre-registration year which was at his teaching hospital (so he was obviously well thought of) he was then given a two and a half year rotation with them. Then he had to take a job which involved a lot of travelling then the current job is with the same NHS Trust as his training hospital.

It really looks as if my luck is on the turn now, receiving good news instead of bad.

Awesome news Sue - both about your son-in-law and your turn of luck!

You must be awfully proud, Sue. About time for the news to be good, right?

My High of the week was spending 5 realy hot but enjoyable days driving around a friends game farm and looking at the animals. Were lucky to see 4 or the big 5 although the rhino was realy only three glimpses. Saw hundreds of buffalo, elephants every day and one lone lion. The lion was chased off by a realy cross elephant - not something you see every day. Also saw a small grey rat snake fall out of a tree and chase after either a rat or a frog. We could not tell which but it seemed to be hopping so suspect it was a frog. Also watched a lone hippo frollic about in the dam. These are the times I realize how lucky we are to live in Africa.

The low was coming home again.

So happy to hear about your son in law Sue. Congratulations.

Lady, what a great life you lead! There's me getting excited about seeing a really lovely golden retriever that has moved in up the road!
My high this week is my long awaited Eric Clapton Concert on Wednesday night. Wow am I excited! I haven't seen him since his "Cream" days. I absolutely adore his music. I was the first person to buy a ticket here when they came on line.Think of this front row groupie yelling her head off!

I rarely post in this thread, but I've had such a lousy couple of weeks.
Last week my almost two year old scared the bejeebers out of us by having what was diagnosed as a breath-holding spell. I heard her making sounds like she was going to vomit. I went to pick her up, and she just went limp and turned totally pale; her lips were gray. She was breathing, but she was pretty unresponsive. We called the paramedics, and as soon as they opened the door, maybe 5 minutes later, she woke right up and was fine. I took her in to the doctor later and he diagnosed breath-holding, which can happen when they're angry, frightened, or in her case it was a reaction of the vagus nerve which sends impulses to many major organs. They stop breathing for just a moment or two and it causes them to collapse similar to an adult fainting. So apparently it's very common and not usually dangerous. I'm sure some of you here must have experienced this, but it's new to me and it was pretty traumatic.

Then today, (making a long story short) after a trip to the laundry room she started saying ow, ow a lot and she wouldn't move her right arm. She started crying every time I moved her. I thought she somehow must have broken it or something, but absolutely nothing had happened, no falls or anything. We called emergency again and this time, since it was an injury, the police came along and asked me all sorts of questions. I have the most UNabused kids you can imagine, but of course they have to check things out. I'm certainly glad they do, but it makes you start to wonder if you did something wrong even if you didn't. Well, it turns out she had nursemaid's elbow which is basically a dislocation and the injury most often seen in toddlers in the ER. Usually happens when you grab their arm to keep them from falling or running or their arms gets stuck in their coat or something similar. In our case it seems taking off the winter coat was the culprit, it hyperextended her arm.
I feel like a horrible mother--which I seem to be according to my extremely over-protective and over-indulgent husband. But my hanging-on-by-a-thread marriage belongs in another thread. A rant perhaps. *sigh*

So sorry to read about that Taesma - all the things we do for kids and they go and do that to us! I've heard of the breath holding but never seen it in action but I can just imagine how horrible that must be especially if you've not seen it before.

When my little bloke was about the same age he broke his elbow although it was a pretty impressive fall off his bike that did it. Straight to casualty and four hours later home in a cast. No sign of police though after one injury - our system must wait for a pattern or something to emerge.

"I feel like a horrible mother--which I seem to be according to my extremely over-protective and over-indulgent husband" Don't feel horrible and don't let him talk you into feeling that way!

That sounds over the top to me Taesma, but I suppose they need to be careful. Not pleasant for you though, first to have a child in pain then to be questioned by the police.

That sounds terrible Taesma. As an ex-nurse I have heard of the breath-holding thing but not actually seen it. I heard it happens mostly in asthmatic kids so be on the lookout for that. The questioning from the police must have been terrible. I kind of know what that must have felt like because when my son was 3 years old he had to see a specialist because of his enlarged tonsils. The Doctor made me feel so bad because he demanded to know why my son had a bump on his head and a mark on his mouth. The mark was from cooldrink he had just had that left a 'moustache' and the bump was because he was a three year old boy and was always landing on his head. I mean he just turned fourteen and he still lands on his head.
On the subject of my son, My high for this week would be that my son, my firstborn, went to high school today for the first time. He was nervous, but he survived. He looked so smart in his new uniform. He is attending the same high school my husband went to so it was a proud moment for all.

Oh Taesma you have my sympathies. It's sad that we live in a world where such investigations are necessary, but it's nice to know that they're in place for those kids who really need looking out for. I can't imagine how hard that felt.
Something similar happened to me niece when she was under two, and it was her snowsuit that was the culprit that time too.
Don't let your husband make you feel horrible - neither incident was your fault.

How exciting lynnann!

Thinking of you and the children Taesma. I am sure everything will work out soon

You hang in there, Taesma. You are a good mother and you can rant anytime you want. My thoughts are with you.

Taesma, we don't know the meaning of the world guilt until we have children.

The first time my stepsons stayed for the weekend the youngest one (aged 5 at the time) got over-excited and launched himself into the doorframe. He cut his head and bled profusely. My husband had to take him to Casualty. No lasting harm was done but I felt like a combination of Cruella de Ville and Snow White's stepmother and I hadn't even been in the room when it happened. Fortunately his mum was very laid back about it.

My friend had a similar incident to you when she was getting her toddler into a snowsuit, like you she was beside herself.

My oldest daughter started ignoring us when she was six. She'd recently had a standard hearing test, which was fine, and I thought she was being 'difficult' - a speciality of hers. My husband snapped one day and dragged her off to the doctors, who diagnosed two perforated eardrums. They said it was usually caused by a blow to the head and that she should have been in great pain. Nine years on, I still vaguely guilty whenever I see my doctor. And no, she hadn't had any blows to the head!

These things happen and you shouldn't feel bad about it, though you wouldn't be human if you didn't!

Many years ago a friend of mine was visiting her family in England and had two young children including a very inquisitive boy who was probably about three at the time. Her husband was very senior in the St Johns Ambulance here in Jersey, and organisation which teaches first aid and also is in attendance at many sporting fixtures etc.

Her parents were unused to having a young child in the house and it wasn't as childproofed as one would like. First he got her thyroid tablets which meant a trip to A&E. Then about two days later he got at something else, I don't remember what it was (I think perhaps bleach or similar) but it meant another trip to the A&E.

When she arrived home there was a message from her local doctor asking them to get in touch. Much to his amusement, the doctor's that is, the UK hospital had reported Timothy as being a child at risk. I think that might be just before Timothy choked when eating an apple and stopped breathing!

You will be pleased to know that Timothy survived his childhood and is now... an A&E nurse!

That is a rather funny story Sue. Kids are quite tough and dont break easily.

Rather the over-reaction than the neglegence on the polices part when they ignored the call about the boy who has been missing for years!

When Timothy choked on the apple they called for an ambulance while the husband got him breathing etc. When the ambulance men arrived the two guys almost collapsed laughing as the husband had actually taught the pair of them first aid! They did take the child for a check up to be on the safe side.

Actually once someone reported me to the social services for possible child abuse! When talking to some friends I joking said that I would drug my kids if they wouldn't go bed! Someone overheard and next thing I knew I had someone from social services knocking on my door to see how I was managing with my 3 and 4 year old children. I wasn't annoyed, I would rather be reported than for someone to actually suspect me of drugging my children and to keep quiet. I didn't joke about that again!

I feel for you Taesma as in CA there is a mandatory law to report anything at all to authorities that is remotely suspicious.

This reminds me of the school nurse who came to the village where we were living in Alsace Lorrain near the border of Germany. In many ways, they are very rules and regulations oriented, without giving the usual stereotype of them being obsessed with order. However, this doctor and nurse team came in as planned and the parents were to come if they wished. There were many stay at home moms in the neighborhood and they didn't take anything lightly about their children!
So in comes this doctor who I have no idea where they'd found her.

She went through the kids like a whirlwind or tornado and managed to get the entire population of parents upset if not traumatized when the kids were all healthy and happy children by most standards in a small town with great little schools.

One lady had a pair of twins and the one child was a leftie as many twins are, and this lady had her traumatized about therapy etc after looking two seconds at her daughter's wrists. As writing cursive in France is difficult and they tend to worry about the left handed child not writing properly, they just worried her unduly about this problem in my opinion.

Then, I remember this one child drawing a picture of her family as they'd requested. The mom was a stocky woman, typical of the region and frankly, she scared me so I think she did have an imposing look. The dad was a firefighter and yet, he was small and timid. The girl drew her parents as they seemed to her, the mom was bigger than the dad. the doctor, not having seen the father said some dribble about this being unnatural (she was basically performing instant analysis just add hogwash), and the mother stepped up and said, 'you aren't from Alsace are you?' the lady said no...and, the mother said, 'well, we're a typical Alsatian couple and you might wish to ask what my husband looks like before you make judgements on us.'

Coming to the bad mommy part for me...my son drew us four, and made his sister bigger than me. He was a four year old at the time. I didn't take this amiss, as his sister is a dynamic person for him and I found it natural. At least he'd taken a few pounds off of me! She said that this meant she was more important to him than I was....I mean, she said this in front of all those other people and I was amazed at this rudeness.
Then, she took a very quick look at him and said he had a goiter and had he been tested for thyroid?

When a doctor puts that on your school and health records, you legally must respond by taking the kid to the doctor and getting him tested! I felt horrible...

I went and had him tested though and instead of a goiter he was slightly anemic which, of course I felt horribly guilty about. We gave him iron tonic for about two weeks, then I said, 'well, either you eat a bit more meat, or you take this junk...your choice.' I would never force him to eat meat if he didn't like it.
For a French mother, hearing your child had a dietary requirement that you hadn't taken care of would be tantamount to public punishment...I mean, they are very particular about food.

What bugged me was that it was the govt involved in this and that if you didn't take your child to the doctor they could stop your family's benefits that everyone receives regardless of income.

I think when my son was little I found the right doctor for us, one who understood 'real kids' instead of this one lady I'd had who would make the silliest diagnosis based on her three kids who she probably had with an au pair anyway. She'd tell me to let the kid scream until she went to sleep, but I knew she did not live in an apt building like I did! I wasn't taking the second child to a pediatrician but a normal guy who'd raised three sons.
He always calmed me down about the calamities of child rearing.

Thank you so much everyone for your kind words. It helps to hear from people who know that kids do sometimes get hurt no matter how vigilant you are. I can't seem to get this across to 'someone' and am feeling very hounded and well, henpecked, for lack of a better word. Every other word is "watch her, she's going to fall", "I'm going out of the room, watch her". Like I let them run around unsupervised every minute that he's not there. *sigh*
Ah, well, I think I have to just stop letting it get to me. He's not going to change, so I guess I need to grow a thicker skin.

On a totally unrelated note...Sue, your story of "drugging" your kids made me laugh so hard--I recalled a similar story. Years ago when I was young we had a cat that we had yet to have spayed. She was the greatest little thing, but man oh man, could she make a racket when she went into heat! One day my mother came home from work to find a note on the door (signed 'anonimus' ) that said "We know what you're doing! Stop torturing your poor cat or we will call the police!"
We never figured out which neighbor had sent it, so we didn't bother explaining to them all. The police never showed up, though.

My son was about three and he was playing up so I told him to stop it, and kept having to tell him until finally I told him I'd knock his head off if he kept it up. He stopped and I didn't really think much about it until a cuople days later I was cutting up some meat with a big knife and he put his hands on his head and said "please leave my head on?!". Luckily there was no one around to report that one to the authorties ! But it did make me think about things I'd say to him after that, no matter how jokingly or inconsequential I thought they were.