Here is a special post dedicated to my eldest son, my firstborn.
Because I am this proud of my little friend here.
He was very fearful but he also had 2 breakthroughs today. I know he was very scared to the point of shivering and it was paralysing him to some point. But then, the other side of fear is actually breakthrough and overcoming. We speak about the fears he had about injections and also cutting hair at the saloon for the first time (he doesn't like scissors near him). He was very nervous, his hands were cold and he came out of the clinic with cold sweat. He started speaking alot. We let him have a safe space to express it out and it is okay. Then we celebrate with him once he crossed over it and enters to the other side which is diminishing the fear of the unknown.
Influenza Vaccination at a New Clinic
My sister-in-law and I decided to try out this newer clinic offering a more affordable price for Influenza vaccination. It is the season of Influenza and school will reopen soon. Even us as adults, we too got ours as we meet young children for our tutoring classes.
I went to get myself jabbed first. The son went in with me and he already started chattering, being nervous and anxious. I wanted to show him I can do it, so can he. When it was his turn, he just kept asking the doctor questions if it was going to be painful. He remembered when the syringe is withdrawn from the body, it might hurt. He had some experiences in school. The last time we had him jabbed for Influenza, it was 2 years ago. I remember it was terrible for him as the atmosphere in the other clinic was not calm. He screamed and wailed.
Thank God this doctor was relaxed and she could laugh and be light about it. Levi was shivering at the time before the syringe was poked into him. I held him and gave him support. He went on blabbering and making sounds to express his fears. I know he was trying his best yet he stiffened his body. Still, he got it done!
First Hair Cut in the Saloon
Since birth, I cut his hair. He has been very comfortable with me cutting it or sometimes his grandma. However, I actually am not good at it. I remember many times I accidentally cut a hole in it or accidentally shaved off some part. I felt bad and regretted many times. However there was no other choice as he just won't let even his dad cut for him. One day? He finally let his dad used hair clippers on him. Since then, his dad took over this job of grooming him up for school. School is actually starting next Monday and the plan was to cut his hair this upcoming Sunday but the unforseen circumstance is his dad is down with covid.
After his Influenza vaccination, there is a saloon few doors away. I asked if we could try. I enquired about the price and then I discussed fiether with him outside the saloon. He said he is scared of scissors being near him especially his ears. I asked if they can use clipper near the ear and minimise the usage of scissors. The hairstylist agreed. He almost backed off and wanted to come another day but finally he agreed to try. The hairstylist was so careful with him and tried to chit chat with him. He was looking at how she did her job the whole time. She did it swiftly and when it came to the scissors time, I really he started to squeeze his eyes but he continued to see how she did it. Finally it was done! Such a brave boy who now looks even more presentable with tidy hair.
Now he even asked me when can we go to the saloon together. I do not tell him it is a small thing and I am honoured to be able to be with him in his process of overcoming. We know hard things are hard, fears can be crazy but we have grace, the ability to do things we think we could not, so thank God for that.