There Is a Pair of Scissors in My Tummy!
Thursday, March 8th, 2007
William was 3 and half, and had just learned to get our attention using his verbal skills. One thing he had been doing a lot was to make false claims of discomfort, such as “my hand hurts”, “my ears hurt”, “my leg is broken”, etc.
After a few false alarms, my husband and I decided to downplay his claims. Instead of showing concerns, we just asked him casual questions - enough to show that we care about him, but not to let him feel that he got VIP treatment.
One day, right after dinner, William followed me to the kitchen.
“Mommy, my tummy hurts.”
“Yeah? Well, it’s OK to hurt a little bit - you’re a big boy.”
“But, but – Mommy, there is a pair of scissors in my tummy…”
“OK?” I said, trying not to look at him and laugh.
“It cuts me. Mommy! It keeps cutting, cutting, cutting… My heart is broken… like paper. Mommy!”
“Look, I am dying…”
I turned around and hugged him, very tightly.
