I Go to Extremes

Greetings from the Hoffman infirmary. My daughter and I have been battling one heck of a cold virus for the last week and a half. While AE seems to be on the upswing, I’m still deep in the throes of a war with this thing. Thankfully, cold viruses are not transmitted via these here internets, so I can drop in and share some quick thoughts with you about extremes.

When I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of my toddler’s junky cough, I’m tempted to hole up in this house for the entire winter. I want to channel my inner grizzly bear and hibernate here to protect us from all the season’s unpleasant germs.

That’s what I do. I go to extremes. But unlike Billy Joel, I know exactly why. I do it out of a desire to protect AE from any and all pain, to shield her from discomfort.

Yes, sometimes I take my job of protector too far. I know that no parent wants to see their kids in pain, but many of my parent heroes have a healthy respect for the need, dare I say, the importance of pain.

When I feel myself going to the extremes, I take a deep breath and slowly move away from the edge by mediating on two things. First, I rationally acknowledge all that would be lost by living at this extreme. We may not get sick if we stayed at home all winter, but we sure would miss out on some wonderful winter adventures.

Then, I remind myself of the role pain has played in my life. Just as I know that the colds my toddler catches help to develop her immune system, so too has the pain I’ve endured formed my character.

Now, I’m not going to let AE lick any trash cans. Heck, I’m probably not even going to let her touch them. But, I am going to avoid the extremes and remind myself that pain has a purpose.