Parents

I wrote a post some time ago about the variable demeanors of dads in the labor and delivery suite, and a similar comment can be made about parents. How do parents act when their child is about to go into surgery? Most are pretty appropriate: concerned, anxious, but reassurable. But there are some who go to extremes. One mother sobbed uncontrollably, and her toddler, who up until then had been perfectly content, realized something was wrong and began crying inconsolably as well. This didn't make things better; anxiety feeds on itself. I've had aloof parents whose questions encompassed where the nearest cafeteria was. I've had simply exhausted parents kept awake by their child's discomfort. I've had parents who come with pages of questions. All this is the spectrum of normal, I suppose, and it's very interesting to see and learn to deal with the diversity of behaviors, which are completely understandable when one has to let go of her dearest possession - her child - into the hands of strangers.