The Mom's Book of Worries

There have been debates about the evolution of man and life on Earth for as long as there has been language. I'm not choosing to enter a debate on the matter, but I am constantly plagued with the worry over keeping my kid's healthy and safe from early death, so I find myself thinking of chickens an awful lot lately.

From the time my son could keep down solid food it has been a struggle to get him to eat meat. I was constantly monitoring his diet and worried about the amount of protein he was getting. I was practically force feeding him milk to make up the difference.

Then I read up on what a chicken really is now. It's not just McDonalds switching chicken nuggets to actual chicken meat, it goes way beyond that. For years we have been told that chicken is better for you and to eat more. But that isn't a chicken. It's a deformed mutant that could never be reproduced without a lab tech. Yep! All the chicken you get in restaurants and grocery stores is test tube created and kept alive long enough to slaughter with antibiotics and plumped up with hormones.

These hormones are causing girls to go through puberty much too young, children to have exotic diseases that are hard to diagnose and treat. And the antibiotic use is leading to resistent strains of viruses that have the potential to not just keep our kids sick longer, but even kill like the Spanish Flu in worldwide fatalities. This is the makings of horror/thriller stuff!

Many articles warn about keeping chickens or even allowing your child to hold/pet a chicken at carnivals and petting zoos. Some reasoning is:

Roxarsone is used in many different chicken feeds in order to prevent the birds from contracting parasitic diseases. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the additive because it is the natural variety of arsenic and thought to be less dangerous. However, roxarsone may be more dangerous than previously thought, judging by the high levels of arsenic poisoning in these two Utah children.

So we poison the chicken to keep it healthy? And then wonder why people get sick that eat it's flesh? And what about the veggies that are grown in the soil that has been fertilized with chicken droppings?!

I've gone from trying to get my son to eat more meat to absolutely discouraging anyone I know to ever eat meat or dairy ever again. That is my informed and medical decision. My kid's health is my utmost concern! But I can't do it without help! I need the factory farming industry and USDA to stop spreading lies, poison, antibiotics and contaminated products. And to get their attention, I need EVERY household to start making better choices and refuse to eat meat until it is safe.

If you can't raise it and kill it correctly, then don't do it at all! And if you can't find someone who does this for you, then don't buy/eat it! Because as long as you continue this lifestyle, you are contributing to the development of super viruses, pandemics, and putting my children and yours at risk. (Not to mention paying out the nose for medical treatments to correct the health problems it is causing for you too!!)

I vividly remember the chants we recited without fully understanding as children. "Liar, Liar... Cinderella dressed in yellow... Cross my Heart..."

Honestly that last one was a bit hard for me to say. I did not want to visualize a needle in my eye or worse, hope to die! Although the original is much longer and speaks of breaking a promise to save a friend even if it means loosing the friendship, it is not on my list of favs.

But I find myself thinking about it as my son transitions from his first school to his new Kindergarten. It was a long few weeks and I was worried that I had made a terrible blunder in moving him a few months after the school year, but there was nothing else to do. So I had to make it up to him. I had to motivate him to do his best in school. I had to encourage new friendships.

So I promised him a guinea pig.

That is surely what you were expecting!? We made a vow as a family that if he could go a whole week following directions, completing his work on time, and keeping his 'light on green' at school, he could have a guinea pig.

Well the first week didn't go so hot and I was starting to seriously doubt my instincts, but by the third week he was sailing. He ended the early week on yellow, and had to start over. He kept trying. He chose a name and a color pattern, and would light up whenever he told anyone who would listen about his guinea pig.

And so Jeffrey is fat, fluffy and already attached to his new friend. They were inseparable today and they are even cozyed up under the same blanket! Do I stash him away or see how the first night goes?

Kindergarten parents I salute you! You wake from your beds an hour earlier than usual for days prior to school just to prepare your little one for the change. You find energy to prepare breakfast and pack lunches even though you were up late laying out clothes and double checking those backpacks.

And after all that exhaustion you stay as dry eyed as possible while watching your baby grow up before your eyes as he/she runs off to class without so much as a backward glance. You are amazing! I have always admired exceptional parents that are able to stay present in their children's lives. I just never knew what this experience felt like until now.

It hurts! It rips out your heart and then slams it back in larger than it was before and inflates it even more with an extra measure of pride and joy. And just when you think it will surely burst your bright eyed little one gives you that dashing smile and waves. Everything constricts back to normal and you go home to lick your wounds and wait for 4:00 o'clock.

 Our little man informed us the night before school that Daddy could go on to work, he was going to ride the bus. So we caved in and let him have that moment. We tagged along to school anyway and walked him from the bus to the school. O what we do for our precious charges! The rest of his school life has begun and his free run childhood has come to an end. I didn't cry in public or embarrass him too much. (I hope)

They really DO grow up too fast!

My son's burn progression of healing. Hard to take as a parent, but he never complained of it hurting. I had to keep him calm and stop his jumping and dancing fast, but it was worth it to limit the pain medicine he required. (only that fist moment)

It may look a bit angry at first, but once we found a way to prevent slipping and sliding over that area (hard to do in the belly of a toddler!) it was smooth sailing.

To prevent scaring you have to keep the edges clear, which may mean peeling away that brown skin that forms. (Like peeling a sun burn, but can be painful)
If you have never seen a burn before, or do not feel comfortable, do not attempt to do this all on your own! See a professional or your pediatrician.

This is what an infection-free, non scaring burn should look like as it heals. Dark pink that fades to a very pale skin tone.  Now you no longer need to cover.

My son will be five in only a few more weeks. He is growing up way too fast. He still loves to cuddle in the chair or couch with me and I enjoy it while it lasts! One of the new cute sayings of his is, "Mommy I'm a good helper! Am I."

It always brings a smile to my face and of course earns him extra kisses! He definitely lives up to his name, as I believe all children do, and is the best little helper this Mommy could every need.

I don't stress about the incorrect grammar, but I do respond with "Yes you are! You are fast too, Aren't you?!" Of course, he loves hearing this and goes on and on about how fast he is. This usually leads to him telling sis that he is so much faster than she is. =)

Abbie completed her first three word sentence last week. "Where's Daddy At?" sounded more like a whispered, "Waysss DA dee AA" Well, not so much like a goo goo ga ga speach as that probably looks, but it was very clear and definitely three words. So I am glad that she is talking more and can't wait for the day I wish she was talking less. Hmmm, maybe I CAN wait for that day! ;)

And why am I posting today? My son is approaching 5 and loves helping making his Cars mac and cheese. Even while being in there with him and watching the pot, one second of helping my daughter was all it took to hear the dreaded screaming. I knew immediately what happened, boil over. His belly. After cooling the skin with COOL water and applying a thin layer of neosporin I coated the surrounding skin with aloe sunburn gel and placed a small gauze pad over the area and LOOSELY wrapped his belly to avoid tape.  Because of his age, he gets tylenol and rest.

Go to Kid's Health Site

If you have kids, you want to know what to do in the case of accidents, and burns are very common in toddler to teen years. The following is some quick guidelines that you can save, print and place in the fridge (close to where most burn accidents happen)

http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?lic=1&article_set=32119&cat_id=20221

Hopefully you never have to deal with burns, but odds are you will have at least one type to treat at some point in your life. Being prepared is always the key. Stay calm, your child is already in pain and scared, so seeing that you are calm and acting quickly to help ease the pain will make all the difference.

My little guy is already back to watching the cartoons and munching snacks, but I'll continue to monitor the burn and watch for signs of infection or any need to go in to see a doctor. Having a medical background helps, but if you are unsure or do not have the proper bandages and ointments, call your pediatrician for help.

It's always best to ask for help if you don't know exactly how to proceed. Remember NO Butter!! on burns and any burns near the face, genitals or large in size need to be seen immediately.

As it heals it will itch, so keep it covered loosely to prevent scratching!

The above link I found the most helpful, go to http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/burns.html# to see the entire article and other informative posts on Kid's Health.