Morose post

Coolest thing about my job, I get to see kids all day long. This sometimes is not so awesome, like the kid who tried to spit on me, and ended up peeing her pants. Seriously, she was possessed by the devil. We need a priest on call for such occasions. I also had two autistic kids who went ballistico on me last week, but aside from those rare occasions, it is a great job.

I get to see lots of kids, and lots of parents. I spend more time managing the parents then I do the kids. There are few examples of great parenting at this type of clinic, and it makes me realize who incredibly lucky I was to have parents who were so great.

There are parents who let their kids get away with anything, and can do no wrong. These kids are incredibly annoying. They are constantly whiny, because Mom is there holding their hand and crying that their kid has to go through this excessively traumatic cleaning. These kids do light years better if I can convince their Mom's to wait in the waiting room. When theirs no one feeding the attention-for-crying machine, it really only takes someone saying, "this is no big deal, and we're going to do this before you leave, so the faster you cooperate, the faster it'll be", and they are usually great kids.

There are parents who yell at their kids for no reason. They think I will appreciate this firm hand keeping their kid in line. "Hold still! Open your mouth! Don't touch that!" This is when I have to intervene and say, "Mom, I do this everyday, and your kid is doing great. I'm fine with the way they're acting." What I want to say is, "SHUT UP! This is my chair, my rules, I will tell the kid if they are doing something they shouldn't." These kids do very well with praise for the things the do right, not criticizing them for fighting a little. Their kids for crying out loud.

You'd be amazed how much a kid will respond to praise. This is by far the best behavior management tool. I have seen some kids who must never get praised at home. I tell them how great they're doing, and how good of a helper they are. They are like withered plants soaking up a drink. You can see them just light up and try to be good and get some more. This is sad to see, and I want to take these kids to stay longer and build them up, but since I can't I just go give extra hugs to my kids. It's sad to say that I often will send a kid out the door and think, "sorry kid, you don't stand a chance."

So praise your kids, give them hugs, and call your parents and say thanks for not screwing you up.