The flip side of joy, the flip side of fear

by Mindy

They're singing. Singing.

My heart is still pounding, my head is still splitting, my breath is still irregular.

But the children are singing.

An hour ago, my son picked up a can of air freshener "to kill some ants." And then my daughter started to help him. They sprayed the floor in my bedroom "so it would smell like food but then when they got there they'd die."

Then they sprayed each other.

I was sitting one room away and why I didn't hear them I will never be able to say. But one minute they were playing and the next they were stripping off their clothes, scratching at their skin, clutching their privates and wailing. Daphne had sprayed it on a cloth and cleaned a leather chair and then sat on it. It soaked her Cinderella costume, her Hanna underwear, her feathery Aurora slippers. And it burned.

They screamed and screamed. I was frantic, asking, "Where are you hurt? What happened? I can't see any blood! How are you both hurt so badly?" They finally said SPRAY and the wall of lemon oil hit me, filling my nose and eyes and I understood why they were burning.

"Here! Get into the bath! I'm putting water and lotion in it! Stand in the stream, here, soap up, we have to get the sting off." They stood there, screaming, mouths open wide, and eyes pleading with me to make it stop. "IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!"

"I know, baby, I know, stay in the water, lay down, cover with soap, I'm calling the doctor."

As I thumbed the phone book open to find the number for Poison Control, my son's panicked voice called down the hall, "No! I'm feeling better! DON'T CALL THE DOCTOR!"

My hands were shaking as the poison control operator talked me through it. "It's a citrus oil, so it stings and will be harder to wash off. It's better if they are in the shower so it can keep washing over them. If they sit in the tub they'll just be soaking in it again. You can give them Tylenol or Motrin." Of course, all they wanted to do was sit and were afraid to let me touch their skin to wash them, so I went for the Motrin and dosed them up while they whimpered in the tub.

Thirty minutes later, Dylan was playing trains in his room, humming the theme to Thomas the Tank Engine. Daphne was singing to herself in the tub as she dressed her Girlfriend doll in different foam outfits and made her ride her foam motorcycle. I was sitting in my yellow chair, sobbing.

This is what fear turned to relief looks like. I took that photo as I typed this, to remember. This is what happens when your heart is walking around on the outside.

Mindy is a divorced mother who lives in the Bay Area with her three children.

Comments

[michelle lopez]

you have great mother insticnts and responses. Keep it up, because it doesn't get that much easier as they get older. Hopefully you'll never have to go thru that again though! Good job mom. happy mothers' day.

[clickmom]

I too know the terror of needing to call poison control hot line. I had one who sprayed the orange flavored citrus spray into his mouth and another who got a hold of the kiddie vitamins and somehow undid the child proof cap.

Isn't it amazing how you can hold it together until the crisis is over and then fall to pieces afterwsrds? You know they'll never mess with the spray again!

[Angel]

(((Giant hugs)))) OMG I'm so sorry for such a huge scare! I'm glad the kids are ok.

[kelly]

Oh, Maude! I'm having a heart attack over here. That photo does, indeed say it all, and makes me want to have a nice gin and tonic for breakfast.

Phew.

[chris]

We have all been through moments like that, where you feel so helpless. The photo ripped my heart out. I wish I were there to hug you in person (((HUGS)))

[paulette]

TO ALL THE MOM'S OUT IN CYBER SPACE happy mothers day!!!!!!!!

[antiquemommy]

I had my first moment like that a few weeks ago when I look over to find my son with my child-proof prescription bottle bottoms up and about 100 pills in his mouth. He probably didn't ingest any but it scared the life out of me. It was a day or two before my heart rate returned to normal.

[Lisa]

Well done. i don't know that I would be so calm.

I think you deserve a big glass of wine tonight!

[Jasra]

How incredibly scary for you! :( You did a wonderful job keeping things together and taking care of your kids.

[Kat]

Oh wow. You did do good. I hope I can keep my cool if I ever have a situation like that. And thank you so much b/c I just remembered that I have to get a new poison control contact sticker for my fridge!

[sunShine]

That just gave me chills. I am glad that they are alright.

[Mom2Three]

Guuuuuuuuuuuurl.....I feel your pain. On the bright side, at least it didn't require a trip to the ER. Happy Mother's Day?

[Sarah]

Heart wrenching indeed! You did the right thing...you kept your cool and called the right people.

Let them sing...