can you say munchausen?

Darling diva has been complaining all week that she has an earache and i have been dutifully dosing her up with calpol, looking to see for secretions and making all the right mummy soothing noises!

Now its not that i don't believe her - because she suffers quite badly with ear infections and is on the ENT list at broomfield, with her own consultant and everything (funny thing to brag about ahem!!). - but she does love a visit to the doctor - mummy i hurt my finger, i go doctors..... mummy i have cough i go doctors, .... mummy my head hurts i go doctors ,...... can you see a pattern! she is either very interested in the medical practice of a huge hypochondriac (i'm going with the second option!)

And this got me thinking about the whole cotton wool way we treat our children....

When they were born i would creep into their room and watch to see if they were breathing, even putting my hand by their nose to feel their breath on my fingers (i am sure i am not alone!)  The first sign of a spot and oh my goodness grab a glass its a meningitis rash,  a cough and cold i was up the doctors, a temperature and i would sit up watching them. Especially No1 son, i think i had eased up a bit by the time the diva came along.

I sterilised everything to within an inch of its life, they couldn't eat anything that had dropped on the floor etc..... maybe its just a first time mum thing as the three second rule became the three minute rule for madam!!!!! 

But it is a futile exercise because unless they live in a bubble children will get ill - they are germ magnets, they attract dirt and grime and once they start mixing with other children you are open to an encyclopedia of diseases. 

Chicken pox is my favourite, when myself and my brother had it, my aunt brought round my cousins so they could catch it to - get it out of the way was the philosophy, nowadays its like having the plague (unclean, unclean, ding a ling, unclean) you are house bound for two weeks, people look at you in the street if your child dares to come out with a slightly scabby face, oh the horror!!!

My heart still misses a beat when they are doing something dangerous - like running, or climbing (I know i am an overanxious mother, have you just worked that out???????) but i am learning to accept it and just kiss the bruises better.  My friend in Australia has the best line, when one of her children comes crying after a scrape or bump the immortal line 'toughen up princess' can be heard.  And you know what she is right!!!

Children need to experience bumps and bruises, they need to have scabby knees and elbows, they need to know what it feels like to be sick so they can fake the symptoms when they are in secondary school!!  We need to loosen those apron strings alittle, let them dive from the high board in their armbands (only joking!!!) let them climb a tree (only a little one!!) let them throw snowballs (not in the face)  let them live the life we had before we became over anxious mothers and if all else fails...... close your eyes!!!!!