When You Are A Nurse And A Mom

When your mom is a nurse, every complaint, ailment, and injury must be run through a triage questionnaire. We don’t do it on purpose, but our minds are trained to think clinically first, then comfort second. Once you become a nurse, it isn’t something you can just turn off. A friend of mine once said “Now that I’m a nurse, I don’t know how not to be one.” If that isn’t the most truthful description of how nursing becomes such a major part of your soul, then I don’t know what is. We spend so much time analyzing everyone’s symptoms looking for danger that we sometimes forget that there are little people (and in the case of a spouse even big people) who are really just asking for a hug or kiss to make that boo-boo all better.

Let’s take a random Tuesday, for example. Kid comes to you all, “Mommy, my tummy hurts!.” Mom you would say “I’m sorry sweetie. Let’s see what we can do for you.” But Nurse you would respond, “When’s the last time you pooped?” Or your little darling walks in the room and complains of a headache. Mom you: “Maybe you need to take a nap or drink some water.” Nurse you: “When did you poop last? Was it hard to do?” Or the tiny sweet potato toddles into the room and when you touch him you know he’s got a fever. Mom you: “Oh, dear. Let’s get something for this fever and have a cuddle on the couch.” Nurse you: “Let’s get you some Tylenol and, by the way, did you poop today?”

Okay- I know it sounds like we are OBSESSED with our kids’ bowel patterns, but, honestly, that is the problem 80% of the time. We are just ruling it out so we can move on to the next possible scenario. Don’t worry, we will move on and, probably minimize the issue, because we’ve seen too much real sh*t, Timmy, to worry about that splinter in your finger! No, no. Just kidding. We do care about our kids’ issues. It just takes a minute to get there.

Sometimes the nurse and mother sides of us are a perfect yin and yang. We can supply just the right amount of nurturing with a dash of logic and process and our kids walk away feeling cherished and cared for. Sometimes, though, we miss the mark. Sometimes your kid rides his scooter down a steep hill at a break-neck pace and when he crash lands at your feet, you stand him up, ask him what the heck he was thinking and assess for broken bones. He’s sobbing and you’re saying, “Where is your pain on this scale of 1 to 10?” He’s fine. He just wants a hug, but your brain is trying to find out if he has any PRN pain meds prescribed so you can just get him to stop crying. Then, finally, Mom you kicks into gear and you scoop him up and cuddle him, thankful that he is okay and that you didn’t have to turn up at some urgent care or ER for a broken bone.

Honestly, it’s doesn’t matter if you were a mom first or a nurse first, the nurse in you is trained to be the one to address problems head-on and to flourish in a crisis. The nurse in you is a little bossy and doesn’t wait until she’s called on. That’s okay. Your kids will learn how to anticipate when nurse you will be kicking in and respond accordingly, and if they come to you with an ailment or issue they’ll learn to add, “and I already pooped today.” to every statement, just to save you both some time.