So the nurse sent my Kindergartener, Jamie home from school today because he was complaining that his ear hurt. I was completely prepared for the trip to the doc then the subsequent trip to the pharmacy for antibiotics, been there, done that. Was I was not prepared for was the reality of the doc peering inside Jamie’s ear with a strange expression on his face, muttering “what is that?” under his breath, then saying he had to get this giant wad of ear wax out of Jamie’s ear, then I had to hold Jamie down because it hurt so much, and when the doc finally got the so-called “ear wax” out it was not, in fact, ear wax, but a crumpled-up wad of paper.
Stunned, the doc and I stood there looking from the wad of paper to Jamie, and I could not for the life of me figure out how the paper got in there, because clearly I was in total reality as to the fact that my son, in fact, PLACED the wad of paper in there. On purpose.
And he said, in his cute little baby voice, “but mama, I just put it here (pointing to the outer edge of his ear)” because I guess he thought that might make more sense to the grownups in the room.
So now the doc thinks that I am raising a family full of children that likes to place random objects inside various orefices in their bodies, for no apparent reason, which is great, because my week was not stressful enough already.
BTDT! I got a call from the school nurse on my 7 year old earlier this year. He had put three small pebbles from the playground in his ear. Apparently this type of thing is hereditary on my husband’s side of the family because my nephew has done it and apparently my husband did it when he was young as well.
Doesn’t sound so bad – I mean isn’t that part of raising kids?
My sister put cotton in her ears one year to lessen the noise and fear of fireworks. A year and half later when her hearing was severally compromised the Dr pulled out the cotton with tons of wax. Talk about screams! I was five at the time and sitting in the next room waiting for the Dr to examine me. I was petrified. That was 37 years ago and I still remember it well. (My sister’s hearing is fine, but she still can’t stand fireworks.)