The Einstein Effect

Mommies these days...we know too much. We've heard the horror stories! We've seen the news of the unthinkable. Every other Facebook post is another appalling statistic. I swear we are more focused on the 0.1% chance that something bad can happen than we are the other 99.9%. I jump to the worst case scenario every time. A bee sting is only 3 seconds from anaphylactic shock. A jammed finger is certainly a broken finger that could potentially turn into surgery that could turn into infection & antibiotics, oh my what if he loses his finger? I definitely go to extremes at times, but guess what? I'm not the only mama that does this. I applaud you girls that are cool as a cucumber when it comes to your kiddos- don't know many of you- but we should meet sometime so you can rub off on me. Mine is usually medical related (allergies, infections, fevers, deformities) that I worry about. But some moms jump to other conclusions bc they are so knowledgable. There are worries over emotional things, physical things, social things, etc. Like testing your kiddos for every learning disability under the sun because by the 3rd day of school they weren't already testing above average. Or stalking your child's bedroom to check their breathing after they swallowed too much water at the pool- because secondary drowning is a real thing. I'm not saying we're ridiculous, But yeah, I guess I am- WE ARE RIDICULOUS! & I've decided (bc I'm a doctor and all- haha- absolutely joking, this is a blog- it's my opinion) that we just know too much. We are overly informed by social media & tv. Sometimes those sources are credible & sometimes there's not even one single fact in an entire article. So we jump to conclusions based on a 1 minute clip we watched on Facebook that was most likely fabricated. We are worrying ourselves into a tizzy & our kids are the ones suffering. "No Timmy, you can't play in the dirt, I heard they're finding possible harmful bacteria in the mud in south Louisiana, it's just not safe." "Sorry Lucy, I read where the forward body positioning of riding bicycles can cause scoliosis, instead of riding your bike let's practice using chop sticks, I hear it's great for dexterity." "Help me Ginger, my daughter has an attitude & cried over her outfit this morning. I think we need to see a therapist, I heard there are studies that show this is a sign of rebellion which will ultimately lead to drug abuse." 

I know that it's good to be informed- but where do we draw the line? I know that secondary drowning has happened a small handful of times, it's so tragic, but refusing to allow your children to put their face in the water as a precautionary measure is nonsense- really it is. I don't want to know anymore of the shoulda, coulda's or the what ifs! Life is scary, it's unpredictable, it's challenging, it's brilliant, it's amazing, it's incredibly hard & incredibly rewarding at times. I've got enough to think about with just what is present in my life to spend time worrying about the 1% chance that we could catch a deadly virus by using an escalator- I can't- I just can't. I'm over the fretful mothering that my generation has adhered to. I'm breaking the cycle with my family. Go get dirty boys, climb on something, hang upside down until your face turns red, use a permanent marker to draw a fake tattoo on *gasp* your skin,  get angry, roll in the grass, wade in the river, wrestle with each other, play with bugs- busy mostly, I want my sweet boys to know that they are strong. Son, you are perfect, & God's got you in His hands. No amount of worrying or fretting will change this world, nor will it protect your children. Pray for them daily, cover them in prayer & the blood of Jesus can cover all those what ifs! 

A classmate of mine wrote more on the subject. http://rightbrainedleftoversfromthecrazycakelady.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/my-two-cents/