Since Noah has been to so many doctors, he went through a lot of anxiety having anything done to him, even a simple haircut. Understandably, he was very scared and terrified if he thought he was going to be bothered in any way. He used to scream and cry uncontrollably when approached by a doctor or nurse, but things have gotten so much better lately. I have really prayed for him to learn to trust others and to not live in fear that he is going to be hurt at every appointment. Now that he is a little older and can understand that I will always be there to comfort him, he seems to give me a look of trust and understanding.
Parenting is hard work, but I have learned that effective communication is possible, even to the littlest of ears. I have been patient with Noah, loving him through his fears, never caring what other's think about his doctor's office tantrums, because it was fear that brought them on and he had every reason to be scared. A different child emerged, a scared little boy, and though it broke my heart, I knew one day he would come to understand that we take him to all these appointments to help him, not subject him to his fears.
I know this may not seem like a big deal, but in the past week Noah has allowed me to put a band-aid on him! He had a negative association with them since he has worn so many in his little life, and my cartoon character band-aid boxes have remained full...until last week. I was cleaning out my bathroom closet and he saw the boxes and asked for me to put one on his toe. *tear* He has since developed invisible boo-boos and has requested that Sponge Bob, Clifford, and Curious George come out of their boxes. He typically throws a fit until I take the band-aids off, so this is a big step! He's wearing them like stickers and asking me to wear them too!
We also had our first successful, tear-free haircut yesterday. We have a wonderful hairdresser, Missy, who has always gone above and beyond to cut his thick head of fast-growing hair. She has sat on the floor and cut his hair for over 2 years, bought him candy, given him toys, and worked patiently with us through the fears and tears. Missy loves Noah and he loves her too, despite being scared, he is always ready to see her because he can feel her love for him. He was terrified of the clippers and often times I got a workout trying to keep him still enough to get the hair off his ears, neck, and out of his eyes. Yesterday was a complete different experience, not one tear was shed, and he was even laughing at the clippers saying they tickled. He sat in the chair instead of the floor, very still and cooperative while Missy gave him a haircut. I could see that she was so proud of him, and shared in this milestone with us.
All those prayers and instructions on how to help Noah understand his journey are starting to manifest. Something has changed, he is opening up, showing his amazing personality to others a bit more, and I am thankful for these huge milestones. As parents, it's hard to watch your child struggle in knowing how to relate to others, being timid because of negative events in their lives beyond our control. But once again, God has knocked down another wall, given Noah the confidence to overcome his fears through love. We have been blessed for the most part with compassionate caregivers, and I know that is God's favor in our lives. Those that haven't been so compassionate, well, I'll spare you my thoughts on them and just say they have made us stronger, smarter people. lol So thank you to all those wonderful medical professionals, Missy, and many others who have helped Noah learn to overcome his fears by loving our little boy.
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
"Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD." 2 Chronicles 20:17
"The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Revelation 2:10
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