A man tells his little boy as they walk by my med cart, "Know what that is? That's where they keep big needles to stick bad little boys."
I didn't say anything because I was super busy and didn't feel like arguing with him, but I really wanted to say "Seriously, what is wrong with you?? You just lied to your child and made him associate nurses with punishment! I hope your kid never ends up in the hospital because you're going to be the one who has to calm your hysterical child down every time a nurse comes in the room."
Why would anyone tell their kid something like that?
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
Oh my Lord!!! All of that was just horrible!!!! I'm so sorry and I wish I had been a nurse then so I could have at least said something comforting and a great big hug as well. Poor Baby :heartbeat
I think that parents get desperate sometimes. They need to come up with something to make their children behave and threats are easy. They choose something they know their kids don't like (shots) and use that as a threat. But they also don't want their children to see them as the bad guy, which is why they choose someone else (nurse, policeman, etc) to do the punishing.
I haven't heard any parents tell this to their child, probably because kids in the PICU have already been stuck at least one needle and the parents can see how worked up they get when we even mention their IV. But if I ever do hear it, at the hospital or not, I think I'll be certain to correct it.
Thanks for bringing this up, OP. It's really made me think hard about what I don't want say to my kids.
Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, nurses giving punitive shots - what else is new?
Why do we do it? You tell me.
It's one thing to tell a child that Santa Claus (who brings them presents) the Tooth Fairy (who brings them money) and the Easter BUnny (who brings candy) exist. Those are things they can be excited about and look forward to. It's quite another to tell them that a nurse (who is supposed to help them and make them better) will punish them by give them a painful shot.
A man tells his little boy as they walk by my med cart, "Know what that is? That's where they keep big needles to stick bad little boys."
I didn't say anything because I was super busy and didn't feel like arguing with him, but I really wanted to say "Seriously, what is wrong with you?? You just lied to your child and made him associate nurses with punishment! I hope your kid never ends up in the hospital because you're going to be the one who has to calm your hysterical child down every time a nurse comes in the room."
Why would anyone tell their kid something like that?
He told his kid that because he is an idiot. there is an other thing I would say to him, but it's insensitive and crude. Consider the source. He more than likely has an IQ that almost matches his shoe size.
That doesn't make it anymore right then what the Mom said. Just sayin
I wasn't trying to be right, I was trying to let the mother know that she was acting like an idiot. I would have never approached her if she hadn't pointed me out and suggested that I was some sort of child predator. She was way beyond rude and needed some sort of intervention. I feel like I provided a mini parenting class for her- and it was free!
OK guys, I fully agree with you-fully, fully agree with you but calling the dad an idiot isn't right. There is a difference between being ignorant and being an idiot. I did that once to a policeman and my oldest child who was acting up and was politely informed why it was wrong-a lesson learned! Ignorance can be taught-idiocy can't be cured..
i do tell my 3 year old that it's the law that she has to hold my hand in a parking lot or in the street and that I could get arrested, but at the same time, we also discuss how police officers are our friends that help us.
I used to do child psych evaluations for a mental health facility (I'm a child psych CNS), and parents would often arrive at my office with their kid and kick off the festivities by turning to the child/teenager and saying, "SEE????? I TOLD you that if you did (X) one more time, I was going to bring you here and have them LOCK YOU UP!!" I would always turn to the kid and say, v. seriously and pleasantly, "Kids get admitted here (pointedly avoiding the "lock you up" terminology) because there's a reason why they need to be admitted to the hospital, not because their parents want us to or to punish them for something." That always took the wind out of the parents' sails, and we could proceed from there.
I work for a pediatrician, so I see this ALOT. It bugs the crap outta me! On the other hand, I see so many other things that bug me even more. Parents are always telling their kids "OMG, your getting fat!" The look on the poor kids face kills me....
I have actually stopped and said "do Not Ever say that again", and go on with if I give shots it is to keep you from getting sick or to make you feel better. I have confronted moms with "why would you try to make your child afraid of nurses?"
thanks!
Nascar nurse, ASN, RN
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