I saw a little girl in the office today who had been complaining of ear pain at home. Her exam, though, was perfectly normal, and the mom sighed when I told her so. I thought so, she said; my daughter has learned to say her ear hurts when she doesn't want me to go to work. Then I have to take time off, she continued, and now I'm just going to reinforce her behavior because it's lunchtime, and she'll love going out to lunch with me. Take it as a compliment, I told her; she just loves being with you.
When Sophia complained of a sore throat a few weeks back, I thought she was faking it too. She started whining about not going to camp, and I sent her to her room to simmer down. Imagine my guilt when I finally looked into her throat. Turns out it didn't look normal after all, and Sophia ended up staying at home for a few days. Sometimes it is so hard to distinguish whether a child really is sick or whether there are ulterior motives involved. I'm still feeling bad that I didn't believe her. With this guilt weighing upon me, I've resolved to follow the example of the mother I saw today, even if it did mean an unnecessary trip to our office for her. But that mother listened to her child, and I hope I'll remember that the next time Sophia tells me something hurts.
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