If you ask Cate what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll tell you she wants to be a “flu shot doctor.” And that’s been her answer for an entire year. That’s a long time for a girl who has been 3 and 4 years old.
It started after her flu shot at the local health department last year. Cate {and her 2-year-old brother} got their annual flu shots at the end of November.
While we were sitting in the waiting room for longer than seemed necessary, I started wondering if bringing both kids to get stuck with a needle was a good idea. Even though she decided beforehand to show Ben how it was done, Cate got nervous right as the nurse asked who was going first.
But she went first. And didn’t shed a tear. She even told the nurse she wanted to be a “flu shot doctor” when she was bigger. Perhaps we’ll talk in the future about expanding that to be a nurse practitioner or pediatrician. But for now I’ll embrace a 4-year-old girl’s dreams. They’re sure to take her somewhere good.
Then Ben’s turn came. He was insulted the friendly nurse would stick him like that in his leg, but the tears were short lived. He stopped crying before we left the room, reward stickers in hand.
We walked out holding hands. I was one proud momma. And thankful too. And smiling because my girl still wants to be a “flu shot doctor.”
Then 11 days after getting her flu shot, Cate asked, “What’s the flu?” while we were eating dinner. It seemed out of the blue. But my guess is she’s been thinking about what she wants to be when she grows up.
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