Shoulda been a nurse

My mom's a nurse, and I think she secretly wishes that at least one of her daughters will follow in her footsteps. Now they are great footsteps, don't get me wrong. I have no doubt that my mom is the best nurse to her patients and I definitely call her with any of my aches or pains. She always has the answer.

However...I am the biggest wimp when it comes to medical stuff. I can't talk about IV's or veins and honestly just typing those two words makes me uncomfortable. And blood. Forget it. Needles. Yuck. I can't even walk into a hospital without feeling nauseous. I was invited to a party in my mom's honor at the hospital. They were EATING FOOD in the hospital. Mere yards away from VEINS and IV'S. Needless to say I couldn't eat a bite. I had trouble swallowing my diet coke.

Well all this rambling does have a point. I should have gotten over my phobia and been a nurse, because I feel like one at school.

I'm a softy, and the kids know it. Last year, the school nurse told me that my class had the most nurse visits! So this year, I decided to toughen up. My kids were going to have to be seriously sick or bleeding profusely in order to have to go. Even so, I have constant complaints all day long. "My stomach hurts." "I have a headache." "My throat hurts." "I have a paper cut." "I think I sprained my ankle." "I bumped my head on my cubby." I'm telling you, its NEVER - ENDING!

Most of the time, I try to muster up a sympathetic smile and say, "I'm sorry. You'll be ok." Sometimes I give some medical advice. "Try going to the bathroom." "Get some water." "Did you eat breakfast?"

But then the kids have the nerve to actually be SICK sometimes! Last Thursday, a boy looked queasy and didn't even ask to go to the nurse. He wanted to stay in class. Finally, I sent him to the nurse and he had a temperature of 104.7!

So, I'm at a loss. Do I act tough and basically tell the kids to get over it, or do I send them to the clinic? If only I had a bit of my mom's medical knowledge.