58 days down, 307 to go
A Flashback to Day 2, TAKE 3
February 9, 2012
Dear Ketchup?,
I want to thank you for causing a pretty intense allergic reaction on #2’s arm tonight right in the middle of the Orange Rhino family melt-down hour. I really needed another medical problem to look into and resolve. It’s not like I don’t have enough on my plate with the news that #3 is allergic to peanuts and that #1’s nose is still bothering him two weeks after his adenoid surgery. But I hate to tell ya, while you tried really hard to get me all stressed out and all geared up to yell at the three other kids clamoring for my attention during your little trick, I didn’t. Better luck next time. Go find some mustard to pick on. Or better yet, figure out what the heck caused the allergic reaction.
Cheers,
The Orange Rhino
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YAHOO! Day 2 success! Yeah baby. Feeling good. Love being back in the saddle. It’s amazing how just one day so easily turned into two. And it wasn’t easy but the high of success, of knowing that I COULD do it, made me thirsty for more. Thirsty for more of that feeling of control, of peace, of love, of pride.
I was proud of myself for keeping it together. Especially when I wanted to scream at #1 “just shut up!!!!!” because his jabbering at me, all while I was anxiously watching #2’s arm rapidly swell up, was getting on my nerves just as fast as the reaction was spreading. The hives went from the elbow to his fingers in seconds puffing up his entire hand. I was scared sh*tless; I had never seen such an intense allergic reaction before. I had no idea what caused it (I think the ketchup, buy maybe the corn, or a bug bite?) and I couldn’t call the doctor because it was between office hours and on call hours. Perfect timing. Why does this always happen to me? And how dare the doctor’s office not have coverage at the worst hour of the day, when everything happens?! That’s a whole separate post….
Anywho, while I knew the pediatrician would say give him Benadryl, FAST, I was hesitant to give it to him. In the past #2 hasn’t responded to it at all and actually had a psychotic response which included throwing books at my face. Seriously. But somewhere amidst this fear, and anxiety, and chaos, I found peace and control and was able to think things through rationally. I decided to risk the Benadryl because I knew that stopping the reaction was far more important than my not wanting another busted lip or my not wanting to deal with #2 bouncing off the walls until 1030 that night.
Thank the Benadryl Gods, it worked. Reaction stopped quickly and Thank whomever, #2 didn’t have an adverse response. And I guess thank the Orange Rhino Challenge for keeping me in check! Phew, crisis averted.
I am so glad I didn’t yell.
Not just because I don’t want to go back to 0 again and have to struggle to get out (it was such a crappy 9 day struggle!) but because it would have just made matters worse. #1 was jabbering away because he was nervous. When I’m nervous or scared, he feels the same, x10. If I had yelled at him, in his fragile state, he would have just burst into tears. Then I would have had two hysterical kids to deal with which on top of my stress at that moment, would have definitely SUCKED. And it would have easily put me over the edge making it impossible for me to think clearly. Which is precisely what I needed to do – both to handle the situation and to keep from yelling.
I stayed calm and thought things through.
Oh frightening, I just paraphrased a line from one of my boys’ TV shows. In a Word World TV Show episode, two of the Word Friends frantically try to build a word and can’t. So another friend says:
Stay calm and think things through.
Stay calm and think things through.
Yes, that is sound advice Word Friends.
I will keep trying to stay calm and think things through – it worked wonders for me tonight! (I will also try to watch more adult TV shows…I am a little worried that I am naturally reciting a kids show. LOL)
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Fast forward 55 days. I am still staying calm and thinking things though. When I want to yell I stop and think, why do I want to yell? Is it really necessary? Will it even work or will it makes things worse?
Is there another solution to yelling that will get the same, rather, better result??? The answer is yes. It’s always yes. Except well maybe in emergency situations, see Challenge Details 🙂
There are lots of other solutions to yelling. And when I am CALM and think things through, I can figure out the non-yelling solution fairly easily. It might take longer to get my desired action to take place, but the benefits are well worth the wait. So I am doing my darndest to stay calm, at ALL times. And let me tell you, seeing as I am not naturally a calm person except in emergencies (this is backwards, I know, I’m weird!), this is a huge task for me. Huge. Gigantic. Enormous!!! But I have proof it works so I am going to keep at it until the calmness has taken over my entire body, kind of like an allergic reaction, but a really good one!
Are you trying to not yell? What is your favorite non-yelling solution? Tell me! If I am going to go 307 more days I might need some new tricks!
P.S. If you are celebrating one of the holidays with family this weekend (like I am) and you get stressed with all the extra chaos (like I do) and want everyone to go home early (like I will) just remember…stay calm and think things through and then maybe you won’t yell at them to get the heck out of your house!!! LOL. Enjoy the holidays.
